Arcadian

[ ahr-key-dee-uhn ]
See synonyms for Arcadian on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of Arcadia.

  2. (often lowercase) rural, rustic, or pastoral, especially suggesting simple, innocent contentment: They shared the desire to live off the land and lead a life of Arcadian bliss.

noun
  1. a native of Arcadia.

  2. the dialect of ancient Greek spoken in Arcadia.

Origin of Arcadian

1
First recorded in 1580–90; Arcadi(a) + -an

Other words from Arcadian

  • Ar·ca·di·an·ism, noun
  • Ar·ca·di·an·ly, adverb

Words Nearby Arcadian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Arcadian in a sentence

  • Old Warrender would lean on his daisy-spud a pleased spectator of the Arcadian scene.

  • Michael often looked back to that first term in the Lower Third as a period of Arcadian simplicity, a golden age.

    Sinister Street, vol. 1 | Compton Mackenzie
  • The only wind instrument existing among them is the Pibbegwon, a kind of flute, resembling in simplicity the Arcadian pipe.

    The Indian in his Wigwam | Henry R. Schoolcraft
  • Trees, rocks, broken sunlight, and a summer breeze made the little scene quite Arcadian.

    The Hero of Manila | Rossiter Johnson
  • Vereker thinks of Sally's putative parents, the Arcadian shepherdess and the thunderbolt.

    Somehow Good | William de Morgan

British Dictionary definitions for Arcadian

Arcadian

/ (ɑːˈkeɪdɪən) /


adjective
  1. of or relating to Arcadia or its inhabitants, esp the idealized Arcadia of pastoral poetry

  2. rustic or bucolic: a life of Arcadian simplicity

noun
  1. an inhabitant of Arcadia

  2. a person who leads or prefers a quiet simple rural life

Derived forms of Arcadian

  • Arcadianism, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012