Arcadian

1 of 2

noun

Ar·​ca·​di·​an är-ˈkā-dē-ən How to pronounce Arcadian (audio)
1
often not capitalized : a person who lives a simple quiet life
2
: a native or inhabitant of Arcadia
3
: the dialect of ancient Greek used in Arcadia

arcadian

2 of 2

adjective

ar·​ca·​di·​an är-ˈkā-dē-ən How to pronounce arcadian (audio)
often capitalized
1
a
: of or relating to Arcadia or the Arcadians
b
: of or relating to Arcadian
2
: idyllically pastoral
especially : idyllically innocent, simple, or untroubled

Examples of Arcadian in a Sentence

Adjective the painter is well-known for depictions of mute, slightly mysterious figures in arcadian settings
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
For example, the Nicolas Cage horror thriller Arcadian opened in theaters on April 12, 2024, and arrived on PVOD 19 days later, on May 1. Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025 Carma raised a total of $15 million from JW Asset Management, Arcadian Capital and other investors. Will Yakowicz, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2025 As of 2022, rents at the Arcadian were expected to be priced from $2,016 to $2,592, with 48 affordable housing units priced at a slightly lower range, $1,680 to $2,089, according to a post from the Fort Lauderdale Community Redevelopment Agency. Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2025 The parents-to-be held a baby shower with friends and family at LARC's Arcadian Village in Lafayette, Louisiana on Nov. 16. Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 25 Nov. 2024 Get a free trail map at Arcadian Shop on the eastern edge. Lauren Matison, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2024 These older films coexist alongside newer films on the platform, such as Arcadian, Baghead, and Late Night With the Devil. PCMAG, 8 Oct. 2024 By comparing their findings to a global database of the chemical fingerprints of rocks around the world, the team concluded the Altar Stone most closely matched rocks from the Arcadian Basin in northeastern Scotland. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 14 Aug. 2024 The Oscar-winning actor, 60, attended the South by Southwest premiere of his new film Arcadian on Monday in Austin, Texas, just one day after attending the 2024 Oscars on Sunday night in Los Angeles. Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024
Adjective
But the most noteworthy addition to Mohonk is the Lakeview Summerhouse, the resort's first outdoor treatment room, in an arcadian pavilion overlooking Lake Mohonk and the surrounding Shawangunk Mountains. Devorah Lev-Tov, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2023 Visitors will find more than arcadian Constable landscapes and genteel Gainsborough portraits of aristocrats. Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025 More ominously for his followers, Ona shaved off the Garibaldi beard that had been the emblem of his arcadian struggle. Sean Williams, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024 This small town lies within the largest stand of ponderosa pine forests in the U.S., which is dotted with lakes and creeks, providing an arcadian backdrop to your stay. Brenna Gauchat, The Arizona Republic, 28 June 2024 Over the next few decades, back to the soil, ski bum, and jam band dreams flourished in these arcadian corners. Jeff Weiss, Spin, 21 Aug. 2023 Until recently, the Falkland Islands were a quasi-feudal colony, in which an arcadian Britain of the past was preserved in microcosm—a population of eighteen hundred, territory a little larger than Jamaica. Larissa MacFarquhar, The New Yorker, 29 June 2020 With hilltop farms in trouble, Potter’s wondrous arcadian refuge is increasingly a battleground for tourism, but what form of tourism is the question. Kieran Dodds, Smithsonian, 20 Apr. 2018 The formal precision in these pictures can be eye-popping, and the compositional symmetry and the positioning of the figures in arcadian settings evoke Mannerist, and, at other times, Pre-Raphaelite qualities. Philip Gefter, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1573, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of Arcadian was in 1565

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Cite this Entry

“Arcadian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Arcadian. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

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