arcane
adjective
formal uk
/ɑːˈkeɪn/ us
/ɑːrˈkeɪn/Meaning of arcane in English
(Definition of arcane from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)
arcane | American Dictionary
arcane
adjective
us
/ɑrˈkeɪn/They worked hard to negotiate New York's arcane rules for getting on presidential ballots.
Examples of arcane
arcane
But isn't there something gratuitous - perhaps even patronising - in seeing it 'revealed' in various facets, often arcane, of this or that argument?
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The sense of the occult as simply arcane is wrong in at least one important way.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
It demonstrated her belief that educational research at its best, rather than being somehow arcane, stems from the unique perspectives, experience and understanding of practitioners.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
These were not arcane debates, but the stuff of community interest, likely to move citizens when constitutions were judged by popular vote.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Ordinary people had little understanding of or interest in the arcane complexities of revolutionary intrigue.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
It provided men with a limited, arcane, learning which improved neither their knowledge of the world nor their conduct and manners within it.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
I went to enhance my understanding of the intriguing and arcane world of architects' public relations and self-promotion.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
This enables the twins to replace discursive speech with a primordial yet arcane language that relies solely on aural perception.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
I suspect that many readers have been puzzled by the diversity of its themes : some tell me they thought the issue arcane.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
It should be emphasized that this is not an arcane point born of adherence to statistical dogma.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
While it might initially seem arcane and impossibly complex, it is invaluable for the narrative it provides and for the insights it offers.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Complicating this individual dilemma with arcane opinion, let alone draconian policy, rarely if ever helps.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
This sounds arcane, but is surprisingly familiar territory.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Strange guardians of the arcane, compositors got by, but have been swept aside by a new world.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
By contrast, the arcane details of wills are law and not custom.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
