obscurity

[ uh b-skyoo r-i-tee ]

/ əbˈskyʊər ɪ ti /

the state or quality of being obscure.

the condition of being unknown: He lived in obscurity for years before winning acclaim.

uncertainty of meaning or expression; ambiguity.

an unknown or unimportant person or thing.

darkness; dimness; indistinctness.

Origin of obscurity

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

non·ob·scu·ri·ty, noun, plural non·ob·scu·ri·ties.

Instead, they will be at best a stale and bitter punchline of our times and then fade, unloved, into obscurity.

A Brief History of Wingnuts in America; From George Washington to Woodstock |John Avlon |August 17, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Then they lose and return to obscurity, serving in state or local office.

Losing a Senate Race Was Just the Start of Josh Mandel’s Bad News |Ben Jacobs |June 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
He died in obscurity in Paris in 1792, never having another opportunity to command a fleet.

Russia’s American Crimea Hero |Ben Jacobs |March 14, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
That kind of smart person cannot countenance the idea of obscurity as a fate.

From Smarm To Snark, We’re All Soldiers In The War On Obscurity |James Poulos |December 7, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

Obscurity seems to guarantee that our talents, our efforts, our lives, will be in some final way wasted.

From Smarm To Snark, We’re All Soldiers In The War On Obscurity |James Poulos |December 7, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
It may, however, have been that Pitt's dismissal was due not to his obscurity but to an exactly opposite consideration.

Lord Chatham |Archibald Phillip Primrose Rosebery
All obscurity is removed by the more faithful rendering, nothing worthy of death hath been done by him.

Lectures on Bible Revision |Samuel Newth
What that something is, or how it is to be accomplished, is a matter in obscurity.

The Writings of Thomas Paine, Vol. I |Thomas Paine
An oracle is ever veiled in obscurity; the more we believe that we know its meaning, the less do we understand it.

Psyche |Molire
Buddhism in Magadha never recovered from this blow; it lingered in obscurity for a while and then vanished.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 5 |Various

obscurity

/ (əbˈskjʊərɪtɪ) /

the state or quality of being obscure

an obscure person or thing