ARCANE Synonyms: 161 Similar and Opposite Words

arcane

adjective

är-ˈkān

Definition of arcane

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

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

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

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.

Recent Examples of arcane Ian informs the sisters that Kylie isn’t merely stumbling into arcane rituals; someone is drawing her to the dark side. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2026 The early quantum pioneers didn’t realize — at first — that the arcane math that strikingly captured the conduct of atoms had left the real world behind. — Quanta Magazine, 26 Aug. 2026 For most Thai citizens, the selection of 200 new senators in 2024 through an arcane and untested self-nomination system barely registered, creating ample opportunity for manipulation. — Duncan McCargo, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2026 That’s not just an arcane question of interest to paleontologists. — Alex Knapp, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for arcane

Recent Examples of Synonyms for arcane

Adjective

Allow a chess player who’s a nerd to find some references in Wu… Iron Man was kind of esoteric.

— John Kennedy, VIBE.com, 16 Oct. 2026
There’s as much effort gone into the food as there is the drinks menu, and the esoteric array of tropical flavors straddles both impressively.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of esoteric

Adjective

Here’s a prime example of a more cryptic style of clue that sometimes pops up in late-week puzzles.

— Sean McGowan, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Kermode was curious, if not slightly annoyed about all this cryptic communication and the request for a secret rendezvous.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of cryptic

Adjective

All the power of the government — investigative, technological, legal — has been thrown at finding these mysterious, diabolically clever ballot baddies.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
After all, what better place to reveal the mysterious professor’s identity than in the very magazine responsible for making the fictional detective an international sensation?

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of mysterious

Adjective

A student victory would be a profound political shift in the Balkan country of some 6 million people, reminiscent of the defeat of Hungary’s Viktor Orban in April.

— Reuters, NBC news, 25 Oct. 2026
The shifts could have profound implications for the more than $5 trillion in assets managed by family offices.

— Robert Frank, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of profound

Adjective

Jones, Cullen and Locke are pleased to hear how effective the ambiguous ending to Black Church Bay is.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026
That’s a question for next season, but their flirtation has been built around Sid’s ambiguous motives from the beginning.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of ambiguous

Adjective

Take The Night Veils, for example, which seeks to capture the spirit of the night through fragrances that can best be described as primal and mystic.

— Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
Two translations—of poems by the Indian mystic Mirabai and the contemporary Romanian poet Radu Vancu—seek to inhabit and transcend the history that holds up the present.

— Craig Morgan Teicher, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of mystic

Adjective

But Sung, Bennett and Miller stayed his order, finding that the California deployment could go forward under an obscure and virtually untested subsection of the law.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
The area sits within the Lake Superior clay plain, where the surrounding soil is largely composed of clay, which can make the water murky and obscure objects beneath the surface.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of obscure

Adjective

For many people, however, the presentation instead bears an uncanny and unfortunate resemblance to imagery used in Nazi-era Germany.

— Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
The man does seem to have an uncanny ability to pick projects that will have a long shelf life — everything from Up in Smoke and Harold and Maude to Singles, Steel Magnolias, Poison Ivy, and Contact.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of uncanny

Browse Nearby Words

arcadias

arcane

arced

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“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arcane. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of arcane

adjective

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