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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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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of arcane
In truth, Ferrari’s in-house Centro Stile has long got used to translating the arcane requirements of the company’s tech bros into something visually stimulating.
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Jason Barlow, WIRED, 17 Oct. 2024
On the sidelines, where people pored over arcane PowerPoints of voter data, the mood was grimmer.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024
The company’s games were streamlined and approachable, in contrast with more arcane competitors that, especially in the early days of PC gaming, seemed to demand that players reference dense manuals at every turn.
—Jason Schreier, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2024
In 2019, Google claimed its Sycamore quantum processor performed, in just 200 seconds, an arcane numerical generation task that would have taken a classical computer 10,000 years to complete.
—Leslie Katz, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for arcane 
Jason Barlow, WIRED, 17 Oct. 2024
On the sidelines, where people pored over arcane PowerPoints of voter data, the mood was grimmer.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024
The company’s games were streamlined and approachable, in contrast with more arcane competitors that, especially in the early days of PC gaming, seemed to demand that players reference dense manuals at every turn.
—Jason Schreier, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2024
In 2019, Google claimed its Sycamore quantum processor performed, in just 200 seconds, an arcane numerical generation task that would have taken a classical computer 10,000 years to complete.
—Leslie Katz, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for arcane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arcane
Adjective
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The automobile’s pontoon fenders and single rumble seat are esoteric enhancements, while the lack of door handles only further refines the extremely clean lines.Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2024
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There’s hardly any esoteric metaphors to be found in this far-reaching work.Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Watch on Deadline The film will explore the dramatic events that led O’Hagan to investigate the mysterious figure known only as Satoshi Nakamoto, and his pursuit to uncover the true identity of the cryptic inventor behind Bitcoin.Justin Kroll, Deadline, 25 Nov. 2024
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The cryptic emails would arrive just before bedtime: DON’T DELETE THIS!!Alyssa Goldberg, USA TODAY, 25 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Some of the rooms Coster investigates in Season 1 are truly horrifying, categorized by unwashed clothes and sheets and mysterious liquids.Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 21 Nov. 2024
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The film is Paolo Sorrentino’s love letter to Naples — his second, following 2021’s The Hand of God — and Parthenope, a mysterious, irresistible beauty, is the stand-in for the enigmatic pull the city has over him.Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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That’s why search on the open web is such a profound market opportunity.Quora, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024
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Brittany Berry knows her actions and words have a profound impact on her daughter and two sons.John Johnston, The Enquirer, 29 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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To minimize misinterpretations, providing clear guidelines for writing test instructions and avoiding ambiguous phrasing is key.Asad Khan, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
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Sunny is the creation of Suzie’s husband, who died under ambiguous circumstances, leaving her alone in their life in Kyoto.Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Recognized as one of India’s, and perhaps the world’s 50 most influential people, Sadhguru is a yogi, mystic, environmental activist, poet, and the bestselling author of over thirty books.Mandeep Rai, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
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The show is a mystic library, full of places that no longer exist.Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The pair will likely stay in that obscure piece of real estate for the next 24 to 48 hours.Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024
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At times, the actors spoke their lines from obscure corners of the cavernous playing area.Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Recently on TikTok, people have been puzzling over how pop-stars achieve legs that reach almost uncanny levels of sheen.Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 27 Nov. 2024
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For an industry rooted in the dry, analytical domains of cryptography and game theory, crypto has an uncanny ability to draw exceptional storytelling talent.Christian Catalini, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near arcane
Cite this Entry
“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arcane. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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