obscure

[ uhb-skyoor ]

/ əbˈskyʊər /

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See synonyms for: obscure / obscured / obscurer / obscures on Thesaurus.com

adjective, ob·scur·er, ob·scur·est.

(of meaning) not clear or plain; ambiguous, vague, or uncertain: an obscure sentence in the contract.

not clear to the understanding; hard to perceive: obscure motivations.

(of language, style, a speaker, etc.) not expressing the meaning clearly or plainly.

indistinct to the sight or any other sense; not readily seen, heard, etc.; faint.

inconspicuous or unnoticeable: the obscure beginnings of a great movement.

of little or no prominence, note, fame, or distinction: an obscure French artist.

far from public notice, worldly affairs, or important activities; remote; retired: an obscure little town.

lacking in light or illumination; dark; dim; murky: an obscure back room.

enveloped in, concealed by, or frequenting darkness.

not bright or lustrous; dull or darkish, as color or appearance.

(of a vowel) having the reduced or neutral sound usually represented by the schwa (ə).

verb (used with object), ob·scured, ob·scur·ing.

to conceal or conceal by confusing (the meaning of a statement, poem, etc.).

to make dark, dim, indistinct, etc.

to reduce or neutralize (a vowel) to the sound usually represented by a schwa (ə).

noun

obscurity.

OTHER WORDS FOR obscure

1 doubtful, dubious.

4 blurred, veiled.

6 undistinguished, unnoted, unknown.

7 secluded, inconspicuous, unnoticeable, unnoticed.

8 cloudy, dusky, somber.

See synonyms for obscure on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR obscure

1 certain.

4 clear.

6 noted.

7 conspicuous.

8 bright.

See antonyms for obscure on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of obscure

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

synonym study for obscure

1. See mysterious. 8. See dark.

historical usage of obscure

The adjective obscure first appears in English about 1425 (if not earlier); the verb appears around the same time. The adjective obscure comes from Anglo-French and Middle French oscur, obscur “without light, dark (in color), hard to understand,” from Latin obscūrus “dim, dark, dingy, faint,” an adjective made up of the prefix ob- “toward, against” and the adjective scūrus, which does not occur in Latin.
The verb obscure may simply derive from the English adjective by functional shift (a change in the grammatical function of a word). Alternatively, the verb may derive from Middle French obscurer “to make or become dark” or from Latin obscūrāre “to cover, obscure, overshadow, conceal,” a verb derived from obscūrus.
The unrecorded Latin adjective scūrus comes from the Proto-Indo-European root (s)keu-, (s)kū- (with variants) “to cover, envelop” ( scūrus therefore means “covered over”). In Germanic the variant skeu- forms the base of the noun skeujam “cloud cover, cloud,” becoming skȳ “cloud” in Old Norse, which is the immediate source of English sky (a 13th-century borrowing). The variant skū- forms the noun skūmaz “scum” (because it covers the water), which becomes scum in English.

OTHER WORDS FROM obscure

ob·scur·ed·ly

[uhb-skyoor-id-lee], /əbˈskyʊər ɪd li/, ob·scure·ly, adverbob·scure·ness, nounsub·ob·scure, adjectivesub·ob·scure·ly, adverb

sub·ob·scure·ness, nounun·ob·scure, adjectiveun·ob·scure·ly, adverbun·ob·scure·ness, nounun·ob·scured, adjective

Words nearby obscure

obscene, obscenity, obscurant, obscurantism, obscuration, obscure, obscurity, obscurum per obscurius, obsecrate, obsequence, obsequent

How to use obscure in a sentence

For me, the real gems are value-packed, reasonably priced wines from unheralded regions or from obscure grape varieties.
This $14 Italian red is a gem that invites a pairing with a pot roast or pasta|Dave McIntyre|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
State prosecutors allege that Salsman took efforts to obscure his actions from his legal staff.
A district attorney sexually assaulted abuse victims on his office desk, authorities said. Then he allegedly pressured them to lie about it.|Katie Shepherd|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
Nevertheless, before too much of 2021 passes by, it’s time to name the Top 10 anniversaries worthy of celebration this year — some obscure, some fairly famous, and one that had an unfair advantage helping to make it No.
Top 10 science anniversaries to celebrate in 2021|Tom Siegfried|February 3, 2021|Science News
If last week’s stock market frenzy surrounding GameStop had any public value, it might be that it served as an introduction for many to the once-obscure concept of shorting stocks.
Shorting stocks is a 400-year old practice|Oliver Staley|January 31, 2021|Quartz

This adaptibility means the algorithm is less likely to break as the world throws new or noisy information its way—like, for example, when rain obscures an autonomous car’s camera.
New ‘Liquid’ AI Learns Continuously From Its Experience of the World|Jason Dorrier|January 31, 2021|Singularity Hub
And too much of a focus on numbers can obscure strategic truths.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But the authority of his name far exceeds that of our own, famous or obscure though we be.
No Gods, No Cops, No Masters|James Poulos|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Astrology and black magic are forbidden in Islam; not an obscure point and one that Monis likely knew.
The Sydney Astrologer Turned Islamic Radical|Jacob Siegel|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Whether it was actual ignorance, senility, or some obscure test, it's hard to know.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He can barely speak the titles, but manages to let Viridiana and That Obscure Object of Desire pass from his lips.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When we got to the house we entered an obscure corridor and began to find our way up a dark and narrow staircase.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
Disillusionment cut him to the quick, but had no power to obscure his rosy views of human nature.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky|Modeste Tchaikovsky
He was recalled, and again moved, in calm triumph, from his obscure chambers to the regal palace of the minister.
Madame Roland, Makers of History|John S. C. Abbott
It was an hour later that Black Hood came to an obscure little jewelry shop known simply as "Tauber's."
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
Like a clarion call the note rings in my ears, amidst the din of contending views and obscure phraseology.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman

British Dictionary definitions for obscure

obscure

/ (əbˈskjʊə) /

adjective

unclear or abstruse

indistinct, vague, or indefinite

inconspicuous or unimportant

hidden, secret, or remote

(of a vowel) reduced to or transformed into a neutral vowel (ə)

gloomy, dark, clouded, or dim

verb (tr)

to make unclear, vague, or hidden

to cover or cloud over

phonetics to pronounce (a vowel) with articulation that causes it to become a neutral sound represented by (ə)

noun

a rare word for obscurity

Derived forms of obscure

obscuration (ˌɒbskjʊˈreɪʃən), nounobscurely, adverbobscureness, noun

Word Origin for obscure

C14: via Old French from Latin obscūrus dark

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

obscure

OTHER WORDS FOR obscure

OPPOSITES FOR obscure

Origin of obscure

synonym study for obscure

historical usage of obscure

OTHER WORDS FROM obscure

Words nearby obscure

Words related to obscure

How to use obscure in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for obscure

Derived forms of obscure

Word Origin for obscure