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

The Bringers of the Cosmic Dawn seek to tear the barrier down in pursuit of their own vision, while the Red Wizards of Thay maneuver in the shadows, hungry to seize the arcane power within. — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 24 June 2026

There are thousands of cryptocurrencies, countless blockchains, arcane fees to pay for swapping tokens, and complicated onboarding processes. — Ben Weiss, Fortune, 22 June 2026

Many are rejected without consideration for the content of their complaint, for arcane reasons such as including too many pages or not filing enough copies. — Christie Thompson, NPR, 17 June 2026

And since each state tax operates under its own often arcane rules, those costs can come as an unpleasant surprise. — Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 16 May 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