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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 Cheng grew up in the southern city of Tainan, the daughter of a Taiwanese mother and a KMT soldier father from China’s southwestern Yunnan province, who fled to Taiwan in 1953 via Southeast Asia’s arcane Golden Triangle. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Aug. 2026 All the weirdo arcane seemingly head-scratching things are just this the honest documentary of us as kids in the late ’90s in Tempe, Arizona, and the surrounding area. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 24 July 2026 So why is a space reporter writing about this arcane corner of American history? — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 22 July 2026 The process was an arcane, possibly unworkable attempt to solve a problem—widespread noncitizen voting—that simply doesn’t exist. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for arcane

Recent Examples of Synonyms for arcane

Adjective

Baseball is a sport that thrives on statistics, no matter how esoteric, but there appears to be no record of a professional baseball player previously wearing a mechanical watch during a game.

— Anthony DeMarco, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
The rereleased games are fascinatingly esoteric, too, including the GBC versions of Croc, Croc 2, Earthworm Jim, and the Japan-only GB shmup, Chikyu Kaiho Gun Zas.

— Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of esoteric

Adjective

The authors argue that this has profound implications for composite materials in general.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
Twenty-nine years have passed since then, yet the memory of the princess—an empathetic woman who defied convention, vulnerable yet rebellious, and imbued with a profound humanity—remains vivid and very much alive in the eyes of the entire world.

— Laura Scafati, Vanity Fair, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of profound

Adjective

Then ask the insurer, in writing, about anything the certificate leaves ambiguous.

— Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Though her character’s fate was left ambiguous by the end of the film, it was ultimately revealed in 2023’s Scream VI that Kirby survived an intense stab wound and went on to become an FBI special agent.

— Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of ambiguous

Adjective

The piece, inspired by the 12th-century polymathic mystic Saint Hildegard of Bingen, was skin-tinglingly breathy and slow, with long tones (played by Malone and her accompanist Stephen O’Malley) that rose up and swirled around the room.

— Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Poetry of a Hindu mystic Kashmir gradually became a predominantly Muslim society after the Shah Mir dynasty came to power in the 14th century.

— Peter Dziedzic, The Conversation, 30 July 2026

Definition of mystic

Adjective

Given most late-summer midterm-election-year weakness has been more than recovered right afterward, the proper course of action now becomes even more obscure.

— Michael Santoli, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
In many cases, the robot tail wags the living dog by tricking it—tricking us—into caring about obscure metrics, then gamifying the process of improving them.

— Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of obscure

Adjective

These particles efficiently scatter the blue and green light while letting red and orange wavelengths pass through, creating the uncanny feeling of an all-day sunset.

— Michael A. Robinson, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026
The skyline floated like an uncanny but beautiful projection off to our side.

— Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of uncanny

Browse Nearby Words

arcadias

arcane

arced

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arcane. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of arcane

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

conscientious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes