obscurant

[ uh b-skyoo r-uh nt ]

/ əbˈskyʊər ənt /

noun

a person who strives to prevent the increase and spread of knowledge.

a person who obscures.

adjective

pertaining to or characteristic of obscurants.

tending to make obscure.

Nearby words

obs, obs., obscene, obscenely, obscenity, obscurant, obscurantism, obscurantist, obscuration, obscure, obscurity

Origin of obscurant

1790–1800; < Latin obscūrant- (stem of obscūrāns, present participle of obscūrāre), equivalent to obscūr(us) dark + -ant- -ant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for obscurant

Overhead the ionic field was aglow, humming softly, beating back the obscurant mists.
One Purple Hope!|Henry Hasse
Whoever confessed his faith in the truths of the Bible was called an obscurant.
Life of Luther|Gustav Just
Shun double-entendres, prurient jocosity, and pestiferous profanity, obscurant or apparent.
Humorous Hits and How to Hold an Audience|Grenville Kleiser

British Dictionary definitions for obscurant

obscurant

/ (əbˈskjʊərənt) /

noun

an opposer of reform and enlightenment

adjective

of or relating to an obscurant

causing obscurity

Derived Formsobscurantism, nounobscurantist, noun, adjective

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

Word Origin and History for obscurant

obscurant

adj.

1878, from Latin obscurantem (nominative obscurans), present participle of obscurare (see obscure (v.)).