: known or knowable only to a few people : secret
arcane rites
an arcane ritual
Synonyms
Examples of arcane in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood began his partnership with PTA as well, resulting in one of the most memorable scores this side of the year 2000 — and one that, due to arcane rules about using pre-existing music, was deemed ineligible by the Academy.
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Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2024
Instead, the legislature chose to pass a convoluted bill touted as tax relief, but that only freezes in place much of the astronomical increases, and sets them as a baseline for future increases, hoping that taxpayers would not be able to interpret the arcane language in the bill.
—Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, 2 Aug. 2024
Consider that a deadline for a deal, thanks to some arcane NBA trade rules.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 23 July 2024
This is not an arcane political issue involving NATO or the jobless report.
—Dan McGinn, Washington Post, 11 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for arcane 
Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2024
Instead, the legislature chose to pass a convoluted bill touted as tax relief, but that only freezes in place much of the astronomical increases, and sets them as a baseline for future increases, hoping that taxpayers would not be able to interpret the arcane language in the bill.
—Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, 2 Aug. 2024
Consider that a deadline for a deal, thanks to some arcane NBA trade rules.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 23 July 2024
This is not an arcane political issue involving NATO or the jobless report.
—Dan McGinn, Washington Post, 11 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for arcane
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'arcane.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near arcane
Cite this Entry
“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arcane. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
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