Arcane — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Arcane (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. 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"

   similar: abstruse, deep, esoteric, hermetic, profound, recondite
   related: erudite, learned, scholarly, academic, pedantic, complex, complicated, hard, darkling, enigmatic, inscrutable, mysterious, mystic, mystical, orphic, uncanny, impenetrable, incomprehensible, unfathomable, unintelligible, ambiguous, cryptic, unanswerable, unknowable, baffling, bewildering, confounding, confusing, disorienting, mystifying, perplexing, puzzling
   opposite: shallow, superficial
   near: easy, facile, simple, straightforward, comprehensible, fathomable, intelligible, understandable, apparent, clear, clear-cut, distinct, evident, lucid, manifest, obvious, perspicuous, plain, transparent

2. 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"

   similar: ambiguous, cryptic, dark, deep, Delphic, double-edged, elliptical, enigmatic, equivocal, fuliginous, inscrutable, murky, mysterious, mystic, nebulous, obscure, occult, opaque
   related: abstruse, esoteric, recondite, cloaked, concealed, disguised, masked, shrouded, beclouded, bedimmed, befogged, clouded, cloudy, dim, faint, foggy, fuzzy, hazy, indistinct, indistinguishable, misty, muddy, obfuscatory, obnubilated, obscurant, shaded, shadowlike, shadowy, sphinxlike, indefinite, inexact, inexplicit, noncommittal, questionable, unclear, uncertain, undefined, undetermined, vague, impenetrable, incomprehensible, indecipherable, inexplicable, eerie, uncanny, weird, impalpable, inappreciable, intangible, invisible, unanswerable, unknowable, baffling, bewildering, confounding, confusing, mystifying, perplexing, puzzling, unfathomable, circuitous, indirect, roundabout, complex, complicated, difficult, obtuse
   opposite: accessible, clear, nonambiguous, obvious, plain, unambiguous, unequivocal
   near: comprehensible, fathomable, intelligible, knowable, legible, pellucid, understandable, bright, distinct, evident, self-evident, self-explanatory, certain, firm, strong, sure, defined, determined, direct, straightforward, definite, exact, explicit, appreciable, palpable, tangible, visible, blatant, patent, unmistakable

3. 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"

   similar: cryptic, deep, enigmatic, impenetrable, inscrutable, mysterious, mystic, occult, uncanny
   related: dark, darkling, fuzzy, murky, obscure, shadowy, vague, ambiguous, equivocal, imponderable, incomprehensible, unfathomable, unintelligible, unsearchable, inexplicable, unaccountable, unexplainable, unanswerable, unknowable, metaphysical, mystical, numinous, supernatural, abstruse, esoteric, recondite, baffling, befuddling, bewildering, confounding, confusing, disorienting, mystifying, perplexing, puzzling
   near: fathomable, intelligible, understandable, apparent, clear, evident, manifest, obvious, open-and-shut, palpable, patent, perspicuous, plain, straightforward, transparent, unambiguous, unequivocal, unmistakable