Definition of obscure
(Entry 1 of 3)
b
: shrouded in or hidden by darkness
standing obscure in the deepest shade
c
: not clearly seen or easily distinguished : faint
obscure markings
2
: not readily understood or clearly expressed
also
: mysterious
a slough of pretentious and obscure jargon — Philip Howard
4
: constituting the unstressed vowel \ə\ or having unstressed \ə\ as its value
obscure
verb
obscured; obscuring
Definition of obscure (Entry 2 of 3)
1
: to make dark, dim, or indistinct
The soot on the lampshade obscured the light.
2
: to conceal or hide by or as if by covering
… snow on glaciers can obscure deep crevasses.— Tom Simon
3
: to reduce (a vowel) to the value \ə\
obscure
nounDefinition of obscure (Entry 3 of 3)
Test Your Vocabulary
The Great British Vocabulary Quiz
-
- Named after Sir Robert Peel, what are British police called?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share obscure
Time Traveler for obscure
The first known use of obscure was in the 15th century
See more words from the same century