: known or knowable only to a few people : secret
arcane rites
an arcane ritual
Examples of arcane in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The cat had blood pouring from its mouth and was surrounded by arcane symbols scrawled on the walls.
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Emma Seiwell, Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2026
The cat had blood pouring from its mouth and was surrounded by arcane symbols scrawled on the walls.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2026
That culture might benefit from the breaking of such arcane dress codes is clearly a lesson that still bears repeating.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 28 Dec. 2025
Most are long and arcane reports written by lawyers, and are only slightly more entertaining to read than your average instruction manual for a VCR or induction stovetop.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 12 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arcane. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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