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
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of arcane
The arcane disputes on constitutionality, quorum, discharge petitions, procedural rules, and hardball tactics from leadership appeared to — understandably — be extremely low on the president’s priority list.
—
Emily Brooks, The Hill, 3 Apr. 2025
What matters to progressive government is getting things done, not the arcane legal roadblocks set up by long-dead English colonists.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
On the positive side of the ledger, European policymakers are moving at a relatively fast pace, which is quite impressive given the typically slow churning of Europe’s arcane bureaucracy.
—Daniel Depetris, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2025
Well, the back-office operations, a lot of the more arcane things are very labor-intensive.
—Destinee Adams, NPR, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arcane
Emily Brooks, The Hill, 3 Apr. 2025
What matters to progressive government is getting things done, not the arcane legal roadblocks set up by long-dead English colonists.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
On the positive side of the ledger, European policymakers are moving at a relatively fast pace, which is quite impressive given the typically slow churning of Europe’s arcane bureaucracy.
—Daniel Depetris, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2025
Well, the back-office operations, a lot of the more arcane things are very labor-intensive.
—Destinee Adams, NPR, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arcane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arcane
Adjective
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Seemingly mundane and esoteric to the outsider, chart reviews are a foundational task that underpins a wide range of clinical and administrative workflows within health systems (and for other ecosystem partners).—
Seth Joseph,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Others point to more esoteric answers to the practical problem.—
Tanya Akim,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Generally, when a player makes a cryptic social media post ...—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Apr. 2025
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Pittsburgh Steelers four-time All-pro defensive end T.J. Watt had a cryptic post on his Instagram account that had the NFL world in a social media frenzy.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Apart is on its way — and has quite the mysterious cover to match.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
People.com,
13 Mar. 2025
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Their work is a search for meaning—an attempt to make sense of mysterious signs.—
Nicolás Medina Mora,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Erasing traditional industry hierarchies represents the most profound difference between the British and Swiss approach.—
Lilian Raji,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
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Benefits of minimalism As highlighted in Nicodemus and Millburn's podcast and documentary, the benefits of minimalism can be profound.—
Ana Morales,
Vogue,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Religion is the topic most likely to cause offense in India today, though the code is ambiguous on this point too.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
3 Apr. 2025
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One thing that is not ambiguous is that the spirit is drawing Mia into its world a little at a time.—
Katie Rife,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Those attributed to Jesus—described in language nearly identical to accounts of the Greek mystic and holy man Apollonius of Tyana, say—are neither more nor less convincing than others.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2025
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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
Adjective
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But his recitation of Black Americans’ names also revealed that they were heavily weighted toward athletes and performers like Jackie Robinson and Aretha Franklin (on a list that includes relatively obscure conservative white thinkers such as Whittaker Chambers and Clare Boothe Luce).—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
15 Apr. 2025
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That included obscure cold opens and immersive world-building.—
Adelle Platon,
VIBE.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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For example, Cindy Bi, has developed a reputation for her uncanny ability to spot unicorns early, backing 14 billion dollar companies, 12 of them from seed stage.—
Dasha Shunina,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Green Day has the uncanny ability to make every song sound like a hit, regardless of its initial impact.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arcane. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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