obscure

[uhb-skyoor]

adjective

obscurer, obscurest 

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, 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)

obscured, obscuring 

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

Other Word Forms

• obscuredly adverb
• obscurely adverb
• obscureness noun
• subobscure adjective
• subobscureness noun
• unobscure adjective
• unobscureness noun
• unobscured adjective
• obscuration noun

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

I’m referring to the relatively obscure and illiquid stocks that now and then will capture the attention of certain traders and social-media users, skyrocket and then, more often than not, quickly fall back to Earth.

Read more on MarketWatch

The proposition’s prospects are uncertain — it’s about an obscure topic that few Californians know about, and off-year elections traditionally have low voter turnout.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But their emphasis on reporting frequency obscures a more fundamental concern: whether existing regulatory arrangements can actually produce financial statements that are consistent, comparable, and genuinely informative to the public.

Read more on Barron's

There is no dead end that isn’t obscuring some secret hatch or hidden door revealed by doing his own research.

Read more on Salon

Because he was an obscure functionary, the lawmaker assumed that he would be an Aaron, Moses’ brother and supporter.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

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