obscure

[ uhb-skyoor ]

adjective

, ob·scur·er, ob·scur·est.

1. (of meaning) not clear or plain; ambiguous, vague, or uncertain:

   an obscure sentence in the contract.

   Synonyms: dubious, doubtful

   Antonyms: certain

2. not clear to the understanding; hard to perceive:

   obscure motivations.

3. (of language, style, a speaker, etc.) not expressing the meaning clearly or plainly.
4. indistinct to the sight or any other sense; not readily seen, heard, etc.; faint.

   Synonyms: veiled

   Antonyms: clear

5. inconspicuous or unnoticeable:

   the obscure beginnings of a great movement.

6. of little or no prominence, note, fame, or distinction:

   an obscure French artist.

   Synonyms: unknown, undistinguished

   Antonyms: conspicuous, noted

7. far from public notice, worldly affairs, or important activities; remote; retired:

   an obscure little town.

   Synonyms: inconspicuous, secluded

8. lacking in light or illumination; dark; dim; murky:

   an obscure back room.

   Synonyms: somber, shadowy, dusky

   Antonyms: bright

9. enveloped in, concealed by, or frequenting darkness.
10. not bright or lustrous; dull or darkish, as color or appearance.
11. (of a vowel) having the reduced or neutral sound usually represented by the schwa (ə).

verb (used with object)

, ob·scured, ob·scur·ing.

1. to conceal or conceal by confusing (the meaning of a statement, poem, etc.).
2. to make dark, dim, indistinct, etc.
3. to reduce or neutralize (a vowel) to the sound usually represented by a schwa (ə).

noun

1. obscurity.

obscure

/ ˌɒbskjʊˈreɪʃən; əbˈskjʊə /

adjective

1. unclear or abstruse
2. indistinct, vague, or indefinite
3. inconspicuous or unimportant
4. hidden, secret, or remote
5. (of a vowel) reduced to or transformed into a neutral vowel ( ə )
6. gloomy, dark, clouded, or dim

verb

1. to make unclear, vague, or hidden
2. to cover or cloud over
3. phonetics to pronounce (a vowel) with articulation that causes it to become a neutral sound represented by ( ə )

noun

1. a rare word for obscurity

Derived Forms

• obscuration, noun
• obˈscureness, noun
• obˈscurely, adverb

Other Words From

• ob·scur·ed·ly [uh, b-, skyoor, -id-lee], ob·scure·ly adverb
• ob·scure·ness noun
• sub·ob·scure adjective
• sub·ob·scure·ness noun
• un·ob·scure adjective
• un·ob·scure·ness noun
• un·ob·scured adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of obscure¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French oscur, obscur, from Latin obscūrus “dark”

Word History and Origins

Origin of obscure¹

C14: via Old French from Latin obscūrus dark

Synonym Study

See mysterious. See dark.

Example Sentences

You will want to keep an eye on the forecast though as cloud may obscure the view in some places.

From BBC

It might have seemed an obscure, even parochial, battle, but America’s right wing was watching.

From Salon

The next morning, the winds kicked up dust from nearby farms and orchards, obscuring the community’s panoramic views of Camarillo and the Pacific.

From Los Angeles Times

Viewing the Taurids may be affected by the illumination of the Moon, which could obscure some of the fainter meteors.

From BBC

This obscure and hilariously outrageous takeoff on the genre of Italian opera buffa, written in 1846, turned out to be the hit of the weekend.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• belie
• blind
• block out
• blur
• camouflage
• cloud
• confuse
• cover
• cover up
• darken
• dim
• disguise
• eclipse
• mask
• misrepresent
• muddy
• overshadow
• shroud
• veil