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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Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of arcane
To bring this somewhat arcane competition down to earth, DARPA created an AIxCC Experience as part of the RSAC Conference.
—
PC Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025
From the 1950s, as foreign tourists poured onto its beaches, Spain lobbied hard to join the European Economic Community, presenting itself as a modern country, despite its rule by an arcane 1930s dictator.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
Eating and drinking with friends is hardly an arcane interest akin to speed-solving puzzles.
—Melissa Kirsch, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Wilson enjoyed learning arcane bits of city code, like how exterior doors that swing outward must be recessed.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arcane
PC Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025
From the 1950s, as foreign tourists poured onto its beaches, Spain lobbied hard to join the European Economic Community, presenting itself as a modern country, despite its rule by an arcane 1930s dictator.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
Eating and drinking with friends is hardly an arcane interest akin to speed-solving puzzles.
—Melissa Kirsch, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Wilson enjoyed learning arcane bits of city code, like how exterior doors that swing outward must be recessed.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arcane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arcane
Adjective
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Yes, the tales of game-making can veer into the obscure and esoteric.—
The New York Times,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
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Baseball is a game with a history of strange and esoteric firsts, and Misner’s homer was the first time a player’s inaugural big league homer was an opening day walk-off.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Neither Henry nor Devers have been willing to detail that conversation until now, as Devers finally broke his silence on the discussion with a cryptic four-word message.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 May 2025
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Still, his message ended on a cheerful note that showed the musician seems to be taking the cryptic dismissal in stride.—
Glenn Rowley,
Billboard,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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Dipping in and out of this book over a few months might inspire a new reverence for the mysterious human body.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2025
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The family adventure show is set at mysterious Crookhaven School where high achieving young crooks from across the world are secretly selected to hone their skills in disciplines such as deception, crimnastics, forgery and infiltration.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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Linda Moody describes her devotion to her late husband as a combination of profound love and pragmatism.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 May 2025
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In a world where digital interactions often overshadow genuine connections, the profound bond of friendship becomes, more than ever, an indispensable anchor. ...—
Hedy Phillips,
People.com,
11 May 2025
Adjective
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While critical thinking is invaluable, the tendency to fixate on ambiguous data points—many of which pertain to uncontrollable external factors—can lead to unnecessary stress.—
Davide Sartini,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
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The two were previously involved in a morally ambiguous mission gone wrong, which led to Vincent murdering an undercover cop.—
Skyler Trepel,
People.com,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Among employees, he had been known as a deep thinker and even something of a mystic, regularly speaking in spiritual terms.—
Karen Hao,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2025
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Lag BaOmer celebrates the anniversary of the passing of the great sage and mystic Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.—
Rabbi Moishe Kievman,
Sun Sentinel,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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Starting from a relatively obscure blog, Yarvin has emerged as one of the most prominent critics of ...—
Fred Bauer,
National Review,
10 May 2025
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What historical and cultural circumstances lead a language down such obscure paths?—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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As an escaped convict posing as a beloved preacher, and as his gentle, upright twin, Robeson embodies a devastating split between appearance and truth, and whose uncanny doubling plays out in a community shaped by racial violence, spiritual deception, and economic precarity.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
21 May 2025
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Many of these films, the recent Snow White most nefarious amongst them, are leaden with uncanny valley CGI, bizarre green screen devotion and a surprising lack of artistic intent.—
Gregory Nussen,
Deadline,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arcane. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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