Arcane
hardNeutral tonear-KAYN
adjective
Definition
Understood by few; mysterious or secret
Memory hook
AR-CANE: Knowledge locked in an ARC (chest) -- secret and mysterious like ancient scrolls.
Word roots
Learning roots unlocks whole word families. Study common GRE root words.
Examples
“The book explained the arcane rituals of the ancient civilization.”
“He was an expert in arcane tax laws.”
Test yourself
Fill in the blank with the right word:
“The book explained the ______ rituals of the ancient civilization.”
Show answer
arcane
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
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