Main Entry: ob·scu·ran·tism

Pronunciation: \äb-ˈskyu̇r-ən-ˌti-zəm, əb-; ˌäb-skyu̇-ˈran-\

Function: noun

Date: 1834

1 : opposition to the spread of knowledge : a policy of withholding knowledge from the general public
2 a : a style (as in literature or art) characterized by deliberate vagueness or abstruseness b : an act or instance of obscurantism

— ob·scu·ran·tist \-ən-tist, -ˈran-tist\ noun or adjective