arcane

adjective

ar·​cane är-ˈkān 

: known or knowable only to a few people : secret

arcane rites

an arcane ritual

broadly : mysterious, obscure

arcane explanations

arcane technical details

Synonyms of arcane

• esoteric
• profound

Examples of arcane in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Brandishing the 20-page manual provided to each participant, Mitchell implored attendees to master the arcane rules of American elections, work the polls and cozy up to — or, better yet, serve on — local election boards. — Doug Bock Clark, ProPublica, 28 Oct. 2026

Deploying arcane terms is part of the mystery that gives apocalypticism its allure, and prophets their power. — David Gibson, The Verge, 20 Oct. 2026

Such movies routinely deliver tours de forme and display levels of complexity that were once seen only in the most arcane or challenging of art-house films. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2026

Not in some kind of arcane, separate bonus pool that’s distant from where the revenue comes in. — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin arcānus "secret, private, intimate," from arca "chest, coffer, box" + -ānus -an entry 2 — more at ark

First Known Use

1547, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for arcane

• abstain
• airplane
• alkane
• arraign
• attain
• backplane
• betaine
• biplane
• blockchain
• butane
• campaign
• cetane