obscurity

American  

[uhb-skyoor-i-tee] / əbˈskjʊər ɪ ti /

noun

• obscurities
  plural

1. the state or quality of being obscure.

2. the condition of being unknown.

   He lived in obscurity for years before winning acclaim.

3. uncertainty of meaning or expression; ambiguity.

4. an unknown or unimportant person or thing.

5. darkness; dimness; indistinctness.

---

obscurity British  

/ əbˈskjʊərɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being obscure

2. an obscure person or thing

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonobscurity
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• obscurities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of obscurity

1470–80; late Middle English < Middle French obscurite < Latin obscūritās, equivalent to obscūr ( us ) obscure + -itās -ity

Explanation

One meaning of obscurity is nobody knowing who you are, and another definition is something that is hard to understand because it’s too complex or unclear. Obscurity is the opposite of fame, and living in obscurity means that nobody knows your name. Many musicians played in obscurity for years before becoming rock stars. The Latin obscurus means “dark,” which is where obscurity is found: in the dark where no one sees it. Something difficult to comprehend has obscurity, for example the obscurity of a medical magazine, or a complex poem that is full of literary obscurities, referencing other poems that no one has read.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

obscurity obscurities

Most art fairs aim to unearth talent from the vast number of artists toiling in obscurity today, but Independent 20th Century looks to the past in its search for creative gems.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Live a calmer lifestyle, gel in obscurity, develop an edge, show up in January and make everyone east of the Mississippi look like clowns again.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Sure, if Galliano had simply faded into obscurity or dug his heels in on his horrible comments, this would be another conversation entirely.

From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026

"Their success revived interest in Lawrence's dramatic work and helped spark a renaissance of his plays in London theatre circles after decades of relative obscurity following his death in 1930," the agency said.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Bologne, the first mixed-race colonel in the French Army, was thereupon abandoned by all his previous patrons and friends, and died in impoverished obscurity.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

They scour the internet to confirm obscurities, contact competition officials and high-school counselors and use a video-interview program to suss out students’ research claims.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

The New York Times’ crossword is synonymous with its current editor, Will Shortz, who gave the puzzle a refresh in the 1990s, jettisoning academic jargon and obscurities in favor of layered puns and pop-culture references.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 2025

"It was a great song, and as a fan of 60s and 70s obscurities I knew it was unknown."

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2025

The unusual shape of Larsen’s story, riddled with holes and obscurities, has led many to misread her.

From New York Times ● Oct. 20, 2021

He checked her chemistry work and cleared up obscurities in the Restoration plays.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Related Words

• darkness