obscure

adjective ob·scure \ äb-ˈskyu̇r , əb- \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: obscure in a Sentence

Definition of obscure

1 a : dark, dim

the obscure dusk of the shuttered room

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

3 : relatively unknown: such as

a : remote, secluded

an obscure village

b : not prominent or famous

an obscure poet

4 : constituting the unstressed vowel \ə\ or having unstressed \ə\ as its value

—

obscurely

adverb

—

obscureness

noun

See obscure defined for English-language learners

See obscure defined for kids

Examples of obscure in a Sentence

Many people shared an obscure sense of gratification that [Dylan] Thomas had died young, as a poet should. —Adam Kirsch, New Yorker, 5 July 2004
But by 1830 the Boston Mission Board was desperate enough that it targeted an obscure sect of Oriental Christians, the Nestorians in faraway Iran, as a possibility for conversion. —Robert D. Kaplan, The Arabists, 1993
I knew they were special from their jeans and T-shirts, their knowing, ironic looks when obscure works of literature were referred to. —Julia Alvarez, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, 1991
Now at last Bacon could refer when he chose to his father's high position and his father's service—and no man could say it was done for self-aggrandizement, as a son who is obscure bespeaks the glory of past forebears. —Catherine Drinker Bowen, Francis Bacon, 1963
The movie is full of obscure references that only pop culture enthusiasts will understand.
The origins of the language are obscure.

Recent Examples of obscure from the Web

Cambridge Analytica, a small and once obscure consulting and advertising firm, became the subject of investigation and condemnation after it was revealed the company had improperly obtained the personal information of millions of Facebook users.

— william booth, Washington Post, "Cambridge Analytica’s Alexander Nix says he’s a victim of Trump haters and liberal media. British lawmakers don’t buy it.," 6 June 2018
The involuntary bankruptcy filing by the Florida man, Gerald Tobin, was a rare and obscure legal maneuver that had the effect of freezing the arbitration proceedings with the former partner.

— maeve reston, CNN, "Exclusive: How a 'nobody' ex-con pushed Avenatti law firm into bankruptcy," 1 June 2018
Providing creative services Practically any marketable skill, no matter how small or obscure, can be sold for $5 at creative marketplace Fiverrr, where members offer everything from cover letter writing services to psychic readings.

— maria carter, Woman's Day, "19 Real Ways to Make Money from Home," 22 May 2017
The ingredients are all visible, one after another, like bullet points on a to-do list: tofu, green vegetables, quinoa, some kind of obscure seeds.

— bee wilson, WSJ, "The Comfort of Bowl Food," 13 July 2018
Tiny Aytu BioScience Inc raised the price for an obscure sleep drug called Zolpimist.

— robert langreth and cynthia koons, BostonGlobe.com, "Many drugmakers ignore Trump — and raise prices anyway," 13 July 2018
At stake is an obscure 1960s tariff that effectively guarantees that every pickup and delivery van sold in the United States is built in North America, most of them in the U.S. by American workers.

— mark phelan, Detroit Free Press, "Trump's trade war could threaten US pickup production and jobs," 13 July 2018
Primarily, John Suchet, a classic music host on British radio, offers an introduction to Verdi, taking great pains not to get bogged down in boring details or obscure music theory.

— monitor staff, The Christian Science Monitor, "10 best books of July: the Monitor's picks," 12 July 2018
Ask about recent rides in a large city, and little or no noise will be needed; ask the same for a specific location, say the White House, and much more randomness will be added to obscure traces that might represent specific individuals.

— tom simonite, WIRED, "How a Startup Is Using the Blockchain to Protect Your Privacy," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'obscure.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of obscure

Middle English, from Anglo-French oscur, obscur, from Latin obscurus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

obscure Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of obscure

obscure, dark, vague, enigmatic, cryptic, ambiguous, equivocal mean not clearly understandable. obscure implies a hiding or veiling of meaning through some inadequacy of expression or withholding of full knowledge.

- obscure poems

dark implies an imperfect or clouded revelation often with ominous or sinister suggestion.

- muttered dark hints of revenge

vague implies a lack of clear formulation due to inadequate conception or consideration.

- a vague sense of obligation

enigmatic stresses a puzzling, mystifying quality.

- enigmatic occult writings

cryptic implies a purposely concealed meaning.

- cryptic hints of hidden treasure

ambiguous applies to language capable of more than one interpretation.

- an ambiguous directive

equivocal applies to language left open to differing interpretations with the intention of deceiving or evading.

- moral precepts with equivocal phrasing

obscure

verb ob·scure \ äb-ˈskyu̇r , əb- \

Definition of obscure

obscured; obscuring

transitive verb

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\

—

obscuration

play \ˌäb-skyu̇-ˈrā-shən\ noun

See obscure defined for English-language learners

Examples of obscure in a Sentence

Throughout this book, the ground of fact becomes obscured entirely by a deep layer of speculative quicksand. —Helen Vendler, New Republic, 10 June 2002
But evening comes or even noon and some combination of nervous tensions obscures my memories of what whiskey costs me in the way of physical and intellectual well-being. —John Cheever, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 1990
… [Mr. Schuller's] … "Early Jazz" brought a sometimes Olympian precision to writing about an art that has often languished in the whale's belly of sociology, obscured by pretension and blubbery thinking. —Stanley Crouch, New York Times Book Review, 2 Apr. 1989
It was eight o'clock when we landed; we walked for a short time on the shore enjoying the transitory light, and then retired to the inn and contemplated the lovely scene of waters, woods, and mountains, obscured in darkness, yet still displaying their black outlines. —Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein, 1818
The true history has been obscured by legends about what happened.
They accused the company of trying to obscure the fact that the product poses a health risk.

Recent Examples of obscure from the Web

Two separate arrests in 2016 involved men who ran sites on the Tor network, which can obscure users’ identities.

— NBC News, "Cheap tech and widespread internet access fuel rise in cybersex trafficking," 30 June 2018
Pomp and patriotism can obscure a more specific cast of characters—some who immensely benefit while others unjustly suffer from the nuclear weapons enterprise.

— lovely umayam, The New Republic, "The Nuclear Industry’s Winners and Losers," 31 May 2018
Cameras are often visible, are fiddly to set up, require good lighting and may have their view obscured by other people.

— The Economist, "The way people walk can be used for ID and health checks," 12 July 2018
In the video, the car is slathered in mud and obscured by the cloudy green water, its trunk popped open.

— steve annear, BostonGlobe.com, "Chicopee police pull Mercedes from river — 3 months after driver ‘blacked out,’ forgot where he left it," 9 July 2018
Surrealist touches in the Monday show — from the sound of buzzing insects to faces obscured by flowers, and padlocks — proliferated in designs that moved from narrow fitted jackets for daywear to smoldering liquid satin draping for the night.

— thomas adamson, The Seattle Times, "Dior celebrates the atelier, draws celebs to Paris couture," 2 July 2018
Set back from the street and obscured by mature landscaping, the Spanish Revival-style house features four bedrooms, 5½ bathrooms, a garden-view living room, and a den.

— neal j. leitereg, latimes.com, "Soleil Moon Frye, Jason Goldberg part with Moroccan-vibe home in Hancock Park," 25 June 2018
Just behind her, partially obscured by her blood, is the life-sized figure of Vitruvian Man.

— sandra upson, WIRED, "Westworld Recap, Season 2 Episode 7: Decoding Da Vinci," 4 June 2018
Without this mask, the star’s light would obscure planet PDS 70b — the bright circular blob to the right of the center.

— sarah gray, Fortune, "Watch Incredible, First-Ever Footage of a Planet Being Born," 5 July 2018

Origin and Etymology of obscure

see ¹obscure

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

obscure Synonyms

Synonyms

belie, blanket, blot out, cloak, conceal, cover, curtain, disguise, enshroud, hide, mask, occult, paper over, screen, shroud, suppress, veil;

Antonyms

bare, disclose, display, divulge, expose, reveal, show, uncloak, uncover, unmask, unveil;

Near Antonyms

bring out, present;

clarify, illuminate;

advertise, air, broadcast, get out, proclaim, publicize, publish, spread;

Related Words

bury, camouflage, cover (up), smother;

gild, gloss (over), varnish, whitewash;

becloud, bedim, befog, block, cloud, darken, eclipse, obstruct, occlude, overcast, overshadow, shade;

obscure

noun ob·scure \ äb-ˈskyu̇r , əb- \

Definition of obscure

: obscurity

Examples of obscure in a Sentence

… who shall … through the palpable obscure find out his uncouth way … ? —John Milton, Paradise Lost, 1667

Origin and Etymology of obscure

see ¹obscure

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1667

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

OBSCURE Defined for English Language Learners

obscure

adjective

Definition of obscure for English Language Learners

: not well-known : not known to most people
: difficult to understand : likely to be understood by only a few people
: difficult or impossible to know completely and with certainty

obscure

verb

Definition of obscure for English Language Learners

: to make (something) difficult to understand or know : to make (something) obscure
: to hide or cover (something) : to be in front of (something) so that it cannot be seen