Arcane
hardar-KAYN
adjective
Definition
Understood by few; mysterious or secret
Examples
“The book explained the arcane rituals of the ancient civilization.”
“He was an expert in arcane tax laws.”
Categories
GRE Tip
Arcane is a hard-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "esoteric" or "obscure" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "obvious".
Related GRE Words
abstruse
Difficult to understand; obscure
esoteric
Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with specialized knowledge
recondite
Little known; abstruse; dealing with very profound, difficult, or specialized subject matter
cryptic
Having a meaning that is mysterious or obscure
enigmatic
Difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious
obfuscate
To render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible
Master arcane and 800+ GRE words
Learn through stories, practice with real GRE questions, and never forget with spaced repetition.