: known or knowable only to a few people : secret
arcane rites
an arcane ritual
Examples of arcane in a Sentence
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Lyra also has the ability to read an alethiometer, a marvelous magical device—the titular compass—that can answer any question, but only by way of arcane symbols.
—
Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
Most commonsense Americans understand that there is no reason paying America's warriors should be held hostage to arcane debates over housing policy.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
It was put into devastating effect last week when Beijing ramped up export restrictions on rare earth minerals and permanent magnets—arcane materials vital for myriad industrial processes and for which China enjoys a stranglehold on supply.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
The rules are often arcane and not necessarily understood by the people who live in these places.
—Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
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Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
Most commonsense Americans understand that there is no reason paying America's warriors should be held hostage to arcane debates over housing policy.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
It was put into devastating effect last week when Beijing ramped up export restrictions on rare earth minerals and permanent magnets—arcane materials vital for myriad industrial processes and for which China enjoys a stranglehold on supply.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
The rules are often arcane and not necessarily understood by the people who live in these places.
—Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arcane
Cite this Entry
“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arcane. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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