obscure

[ uhb-skyoor ]

/ əbˈskyʊər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR obscure 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.

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.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR obscure ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR obscure

1 certain.

4 clear.

6 noted.

7 conspicuous.

8 bright.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR obscure ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for obscure

1. See mysterious. 8. See dark.

OTHER WORDS FROM obscure

ob·scur·ed·ly

[uhb-skyoor-id-lee] /əbˈskyʊər ɪd li/, ob·scure·ly, adverb ob·scure·ness, noun sub·ob·scure, adjective sub·ob·scure·ly, adverb

sub·ob·scure·ness, noun un·ob·scure, adjective un·ob·scure·ly, adverb un·ob·scure·ness, noun un·ob·scured, adjective

Words nearby obscure

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

Example sentences from the Web for obscurely

Some 50 detectives are now poring over this paperwork in the obscurely named "Operation Weeting."

Inside the Shadowy World of Phone-Hacking |William Coles |April 23, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
No matter how obscurely one has ever appeared in print, one pays the penalty of the pinnacle ever after.

The Joys of Being a Woman |Winifred Kirkland
Owing to an abortive and obscurely originated action for libel, the whole matter revives.

Lord Randolph Churchill |Winston Spencer Churchill
As things are, His glory is but obscurely visible in His saints.

The Expositor's Bible: Ephesians |G. G. Findlay

We can but obscurely image to ourselves the thoughts and deeds of the earliest dwellers in our island.

Ireland, Historic and Picturesque |Charles Johnston
Was she obscurely conscious of two states of being in herself, and did she therefore fear to trust her own impulses?

The Golden Fleece |Julian Hawthorne

British Dictionary definitions for obscurely

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), noun obscurely, adverb obscureness, noun

Word Origin for obscure

C14: via Old French from Latin obscūrus dark

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

obscure

adjective, ob·scur·er, ob·scur·est.

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

noun

Origin of obscure

SYNONYMS FOR obscure

ANTONYMS FOR obscure

synonym study for obscure

OTHER WORDS FROM obscure

Words nearby obscure

Example sentences from the Web for obscurely

British Dictionary definitions for obscurely

adjective

verb (tr)

noun

Derived forms of obscure

Word Origin for obscure

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

obscure

adjective, ob·scur·er, ob·scur·est.

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

noun

Origin of obscure

SYNONYMS FOR obscure

ANTONYMS FOR obscure

synonym study for obscure

OTHER WORDS FROM obscure

Words nearby obscure

Words related to obscurely

Example sentences from the Web for obscurely

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for obscurely

adjective

verb (tr)

noun

Derived forms of obscure

Word Origin for obscure

British Dictionary definitions for obscurely