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

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

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

Deliberately or not, Fox cameras inside the stadium showed those watching from home only wide shots filled with graphics that obscured the paltry crowd.

From Los Angeles Times

On June 9, Breyer ruled to strip the president of command of federalized troops, saying he’d overstepped his authority under an obscure subsection of the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

The road is covered in tall green netting which obscures visibility from above - protecting it from Russian drones.

From BBC

The DMZ border is not fenced and the signposts are obscured by dense vegetation.

From BBC

That the show can be a little obscure from time to time — I had to look up “Moshiach” to get one joke — just deepens its world.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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