Arcane
Arcane adjective - Difficult for one of ordinary knowledge or intelligence to understand.
Usage example: grammatical rules that seem arcane to generations of students who were never taught grammar in the first place
Esoteric is a synonym for arcane in hidden topic. In some cases you can use "Esoteric" instead an adjective "Arcane", when it comes to topics like mysterious. popular alternative
Esoteric
Esoteric adjective - Difficult for one of ordinary knowledge or intelligence to understand.
Usage example: metaphysics is such an esoteric subject that most people are content to leave it to the philosophers
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
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According to The Other Wiki, puzzles have involved "arcane or esoteric topics like quantum computing, stereoisomers, ancient Greek, Klingon, Bach preludes, coinage of Africa, and Barbie dolls".
Source: Viewers Are Geniuses -
They are carefully composed from symbolic expressions in arcane and esoteric programming languages that prescribe the tasks we want our processes to perform.
Source: Language of Magic
Cite this Source
Esoteric and Arcane. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/arcane/esoteric
Arcane & Esoteric. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/arcane/esoteric>.
Esoteric or Arcane. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/arcane/esoteric.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "arcane" and "esoteric" have occurred on timeline