1
as in esoteric
difficult for one of ordinary knowledge or intelligence to understand
grammatical rules that seem arcane to generations of students who were never taught grammar in the first place
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cryptic
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
the rebate form uses arcane language, the only purpose of which seems to be to disqualify buyers from actually getting a rebate
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mysterious
being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain
my predecessor in this job obviously had his own arcane system for filing things, and so I haven't a clue as to where anything is
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Recent Examples of arcane
Wizards, or mages (as the group has commonly referred to Eleven), develop their powers using arcane magic to cast powerful spells.
—
Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2025
Since the 2015 Paris COP, Article 6 negotiations were the forum for some of the most arcane and hair-splitting debates in climate politics, and a reliable target for activists claiming the whole thing is a scam.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 11 Nov. 2025
At play in Gómez’s case is a decades-old immigration law that uses arcane vocabulary.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Lyra also has the ability to read an alethiometer, a marvelous magical device—the titular compass—that can answer any question, but only by way of arcane symbols.
—Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arcane
Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2025
Since the 2015 Paris COP, Article 6 negotiations were the forum for some of the most arcane and hair-splitting debates in climate politics, and a reliable target for activists claiming the whole thing is a scam.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 11 Nov. 2025
At play in Gómez’s case is a decades-old immigration law that uses arcane vocabulary.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Lyra also has the ability to read an alethiometer, a marvelous magical device—the titular compass—that can answer any question, but only by way of arcane symbols.
—Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arcane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arcane
Adjective
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Then there was the play that made many scratch their heads — the one when the Carolina Panthers’ game-tying field goal was blocked only for an esoteric NFL rule to award the Panthers with the ball, a new set of downs and great field position.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Nov. 2025
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The ideological provocations of Madonna (Ciccone) iconography and the esoteric execution of Björk songs meet (again) in Lux’s palette of fixations.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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By contrast, fringe subcultures operate in a more cryptic and chaotic manner.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
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Heeding these cryptic words some three decades later, the audacious (and well-read) impresario Tony Wilson opened the Haçienda together with the circle of post-punk musicians and designers involved with his label, Factory Records.—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Not to mention the titular bugs, a swarm of blood-invading creatures discovered by her new lover, the mysterious drifter Peter Evans (Namir Smallwood).—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
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The Columbus, Ohio, police chief is speaking out for the first time since the mysterious murders of dentist Spencer Tepe and his wife, Monique Tepe.—
Emily Shapiro,
ABC News,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Its most profound feature is the use of the actual 70-minute audio recording of Hind’s phone calls to the dispatchers.—
Robert Lang,
Deadline,
11 Jan. 2026
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After a full year without alcohol, Chiang noted that health improvements are more profound.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Even in agencies that have, some policies are weak or ambiguous.—
Ben Jones,
Fortune,
9 Jan. 2026
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Even in agencies that have, some policies are weak or ambiguous.—
Ben Jones,
The Conversation,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Helena, meanwhile, was supposedly a mystic receiving directions from spiritual masters hidden in the Himalayas.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
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This was the danger Madison considered — that mystic memory would falsely elevate the Constitution.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Gardenia x daruma is an obscure dwarf hybrid that is hardy down to 20 degrees and, planted on its own, grows no more than three feet tall with small flowers and leaves.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
9 Jan. 2026
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Advertisement The Epstein case is yet another reminder of how power can both obscure harm and suppress the voices of survivors.—
Mónica Ramírez,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Some of Lilo’s predictions have gone viral for their uncanny accuracy.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
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There’s something uncanny about this still and stunning portrait of a twenty-one-year-old Taylor Swift, shot by Katy Grannan for Lizzie Widdicombe’s Profile of the singer, in 2011.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arcane. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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