Arcadian

1 of 2

noun

Ar·ca·di·an är-ˈkā-dē-ən

often not capitalized : a person who lives a simple quiet life

: a native or inhabitant of Arcadia

: the dialect of ancient Greek used in Arcadia

arcadian

2 of 2

adjective

ar·ca·di·an är-ˈkā-dē-ən

often capitalized

: of or relating to Arcadia or the Arcadians

: of or relating to Arcadian

: 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

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

Nicolas Cage plays a father of two in the throes of a dystopian world in EW's exclusive first look at the trailer for post-apocalyptic thriller Arcadian. —Jessica Wang, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2024 Elsewhere in the lineup is the Nicolas Cage starrer Arcadian, the Lucy Boynton sci-fi feature The Greatest Hits, Rudy Mancuso’s Música, and Mary Louise Parker movie Omni Loop. —Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2024 Employers like Arcadian Bank keep Blue Zones alive with their healthy vending options. —Erin Hassanzadeh, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2023 Firefighters responded to the single-alarm fire at The Arcadian Hotel at 1200 Beacon St. around 2 a.m., officials wrote on the Brookline Fire Department’s Facebook page. —Emily Sweeney, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2023 On it, the September Arcadian Man, a pitcher of lemonade, and a to-do list: 1. —Hazlitt, 14 June 2023 Officers were called to the Arcadian Apartments, at 4611 E. Loop 1604, just before 2 a.m. for a shooting in progress. —Taylor Pettaway, San Antonio Express-News, 7 June 2023 New Berlin police continued the pursuit along Arcadian Avenue, Springdale Road, and Cleveland Avenue, with authorities setting up stop sticks — devices used to flatten the tires on passing vehicles — at various points. —Jim Riccioli, Journal Sentinel, 25 May 2023

Adjective

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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Arcadian

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Arcadian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Arcadian. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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Arcadian

noun

adjective

Synonyms

Examples of Arcadian in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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Arcadian

noun

adjective

Synonyms

Examples of Arcadian in a Sentence

Word History

Rhymes for Arcadian

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Share

More from Merriam-Webster

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Can you solve 4 words at once?

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