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 Managers must deal with hundreds of suppliers of arcane components. — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 16 Aug. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for arcane

Recent Examples of Synonyms for arcane

Adjective

That's an important, if esoteric, distinction, as Asus already claimed the first RGB OLED gaming monitor (the ROG Swift PG34WCDN), and LG called dibs on the world’s first 39-inch 5K2K OLED gaming monitor with the GX9.

— Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 27 Aug. 2026
Even though Truell was then chasing an esoteric idea around AI for CAD, Tisch and the partners at BoxGroup listened.

— Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of esoteric

Adjective

But although the mysterious connections between siblings are an area ripe for exploration, Herzog doesn’t seem all that interested beyond the quirk factor, making the film seem precious rather than perceptive.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
There’s a mysterious liquid dripping from the ceiling next to the changing table.

— Zachary Pincus-Roth, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of mysterious

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

Bergman’s scenario famously reaches the deeply ambiguous point at which the personalities of the actress Elisabet Vogler and her nurse, Alma, seem to merge.

— Demetrios Matheou, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
What remains are angry customers, ambiguous situations, exceptions, judgment calls and problems that have already failed one resolution attempt.

— Antony P Gregory, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 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

Following his 2019 essay for the New Yorker, Murakami recounts a compelling history of fatherhood, family and obligation, transforming an uncanny childhood memory into a deeply personal history.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
My friend Austin, who has impeccable taste in bad movies and other internet esoterica, reflected on Breen’s uncanny charisma during a recent phone call.

— Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 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 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of arcane

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

apiary

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

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

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes