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
Governmental assistance is an arcane topic that is potentially too boring for the mainstream press to cover.
—
Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
These include arcane regulation and insider dealing by Ukrainian businessmen and politicians, which could limit any profits from the arrangement.
—Constant Méheut, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
Scientific agencies have been staffed by scientists; scientists have set scientific priorities; scientists have ensured the integrity of the science that is done, on the theory that scientists know their own complicated, technical, sometimes arcane work best.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2025
In traditional dictatorships, critics are often charged with crimes such as sedition, treason, or plotting insurrection, but contemporary autocrats tend to prosecute critics for more mundane offenses, such as corruption, tax evasion, defamation, and even minor violations of arcane rules.
—Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arcane
Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
These include arcane regulation and insider dealing by Ukrainian businessmen and politicians, which could limit any profits from the arrangement.
—Constant Méheut, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
Scientific agencies have been staffed by scientists; scientists have set scientific priorities; scientists have ensured the integrity of the science that is done, on the theory that scientists know their own complicated, technical, sometimes arcane work best.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2025
In traditional dictatorships, critics are often charged with crimes such as sedition, treason, or plotting insurrection, but contemporary autocrats tend to prosecute critics for more mundane offenses, such as corruption, tax evasion, defamation, and even minor violations of arcane rules.
—Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arcane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arcane
Adjective
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Cordelia Cupp is a collector of esoteric information and her desire to learn things about the White House while also learning things about a crime borders on charming.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
20 Mar. 2025
-
The esoteric will never sit completely comfortably in the mainstream, because that’s the point of it: to be unusual, bizarre, absurd.—
Eliza Goodpasture,
ARTnews.com,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The Bachelor alum took to social media on Wednesday, March 19, with a cryptic message seemingly responding to her ex-boyfriend Brendan Morais’ hard launch with his new girlfriend Serene Russell.—
Liza Esquibias,
People.com,
21 Mar. 2025
-
The episode ends with a cryptic phone call to Luca from a family member, hinting at their ties to the resort.—
Martine Paris,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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After his first game since Feb. 26, Porziņģis detailed his long journey back from a mysterious illness.—
Jay King,
The Athletic,
16 Mar. 2025
-
Everyone is a suspect, and there’s a lot of buildup to finding out what happened at a fateful St. Patrick’s Day party 15 years prior — especially when Chelsea (Ilana Glazer) makes a mysterious reference to an incident that made the entire school ostracize her.—
Marianne Eloise,
Vulture,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Here are ten profound revelations explored in Monstress that not only dovetail into many real-life societal issues that women contend with today, but whose challenges are confronted head-on with bravery, hope, and inspiration.—
Tiffany Leigh,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
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This is the relationship between us and our country, which is every bit as profound as one's relationship with another individual.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Team Harris’s strategy appeared to rely heavily on a short campaign window, with a sparse interview schedule, slow windup to unscripted events, and ambiguous policy positions.—
W. James Antle III,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
14 Mar. 2025
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Instead, security leaders typically present compliance checklists, regulatory obligations and ambiguous risk scores that executives then struggle to translate into financial and operational impact.—
Jerry Layden,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Founded on the ethos of art as a form of mystic healing, the label reimagines the family heirloom—and invites its patrons to examine their relationship with objects.—
Nia Shumake,
Essence,
3 Feb. 2025
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Healy Lake members have long considered their dogs to be mystic companions, according to Combs.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
4 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Disney had released some trailers but this was still an obscure Star Wars series following characters that most fans knew little about, and casual fans had never heard of before.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
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Prior to 1950, McCarthy was an obscure first-term senator from Wisconsin.—
Beverly Gage,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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An uncanny all-star cast (including Ken Cosgrove actor Aaron Staton); a resplendent recreation of postwar Los Angeles; a spate of unsolved crimes.—
Lewis Gordon,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
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Going from the staid post-Impressionism of her artistic education at London’s Slade School of Fine Art to a world of dreams, magic, and the uncanny opened a door.—
Eliza Goodpasture,
ARTnews.com,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arcane. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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