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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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
The arcane process has made news in recent years, with Nielsen losing the MRC’s blessing for national and local ratings in 2021.
—
Dade Hayes, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2025
Some of this may happen under cover of darkness, but much of it happens in the open, under cover of arcane technocracy or boring bureaucracy.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Based on the parameters of the arcane Equine Injury Database, where only racing deaths are counted, Churchill’s spring meet had 5.39 deaths for every 1,000 starts, as computed by The Times.
—John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for arcane
Dade Hayes, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2025
Some of this may happen under cover of darkness, but much of it happens in the open, under cover of arcane technocracy or boring bureaucracy.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Based on the parameters of the arcane Equine Injury Database, where only racing deaths are counted, Churchill’s spring meet had 5.39 deaths for every 1,000 starts, as computed by The Times.
—John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2025
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
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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Carlton Reid Based on 20 years of observations by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, new research sheds light on one of the solar system’s most mysterious planets.—
Ryan Waniata,
Wired News,
27 May 2025
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Denim shifts toward a mysterious direction in Blooming Darkness.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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These individuals typically struggle to delegate or seek support, which can result in a profound sense of isolation.—
Lisa Bodell,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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Irsay, a Lincolnwood native who attended Loyola Academy in Wilmette, had a profound impact on the Colts franchise.—
Michael Marot,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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At first unsure, Ester allows the guy to touch her, and as a viewer the scene is ambiguous.—
Catherine Bray,
Variety,
24 May 2025
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The camera flies out over the water, and neither Cecilie nor the audience gets a definitive answer, with the series coming to an ambiguous and unsettling end.—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
22 May 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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There are some opaque methods for opening car tailgates, but Smart’s must be one of the most obscure.—
James Morris,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
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That brings us to Biden’s cancer, a diagnosis that surely cast a pall over the various book tours and panel discussions on what the Bidens and their handlers did or did not obscure.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
20 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 31 May. 2025.
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