obscure

[ uhb-skyoor ]

/ əbˈskyʊər /

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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.

Nearby words

obscenity, obscurant, obscurantism, obscurantist, obscuration, obscure, obscurity, obscurum per obscurius, obsecrate, obsecration, obsequence

Origin of obscure

1350–1400; Middle English < Old French oscur, obscur < Latin obscūrus dark

SYNONYMS FOR obscure

1 doubtful, dubious.

4 blurred, veiled.

6 undistinguished, unnoted, unknown.

7 secluded, inconspicuous, unnoticeable, unnoticed.

8 cloudy, dusky, somber.

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ANTONYMS FOR obscure

1 certain.

4 clear.

6 noted.

7 conspicuous.

8 bright.

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Related forms

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

Synonym study

1. See mysterious. 8. See dark.

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

Examples from the Web for obscure

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
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

Some critics complained that his symbolism was obscure and was lost on the audience.
Was the Unabomber a Eugene O’Neill Fan?|Robert M. Dowling|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The star of his genius mounted, without a cloud to obscure it, in the firmament of the Church.
The Lives of the Saints, Volume III (of 16): March|Sabine Baring-Gould
"And I am poor, obscure and—old," he finished, his eyes upon her face.
Southern Hearts|Florence Hull Winterburn
She was mysterious, significant, full of obscure meaning —like a symbol.
Tales of Unrest|Joseph Conrad
But I think the proportion at least as large among the offspring of the great as among the children of the obscure.
The Knickerbocker, Vol. 22, No. 2, August 1843|Various
Socialism was talked about in the reviews: some of us knew that an obscure Socialist movement was stirring into life in London.
The History of the Fabian Society|Edward R. Pease

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 Formsobscuration (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

Word Origin and History for obscure (1 of 2)

obscure

adj.

c.1400, "dark," figuratively "morally unenlightened; gloomy," from Old French obscur, oscur "dark, clouded, gloomy; dim, not clear" (12c.) and directly from Latin obscurus "dark, dusky, shady," figuratively "unknown; unintelligible; hard to discern; from insignificant ancestors," from ob "over" (see ob-) + -scurus "covered," from PIE *(s)keu- "to cover, conceal" (see sky). Related: Obscurely.

Word Origin and History for obscure (1 of 2)

obscure

early 15c., "to cover (something), cloud over," from obscure (adj.) or else from Middle French obscurer, from Latin obscurare "to make dark, darken, obscure," from obscurus. Related: Obscured; obscuring.

obscure

adjective, ob·scur·er, ob·scur·est.

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

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of obscure

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for obscure

British Dictionary definitions for obscure

obscure

adjective

verb (tr)

noun

Word Origin for obscure

Word Origin and History for obscure (1 of 2)

obscure

Word Origin and History for obscure (1 of 2)

obscure

obscure

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

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of obscure

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for obscure

British Dictionary definitions for.css-ylq2vz{color:#1a1a1a;} obscure

obscure

adjective

verb (tr)

noun

Word Origin for obscure

Word Origin and History for obscure (1 of 2)

obscure

Word Origin and History for obscure (1 of 2)

obscure

British Dictionary definitions for obscure