obscurity

noun

ob·​scu·​ri·​ty äb-ˈskyu̇r-ə-tē 

əb-

plural obscurities

1

: one that is obscure

… peppered with quotes from … heavy hitters, as well as some downright obscurities.

—Penelope Green

2

: the quality or state of being obscure

novels that have faded into obscurity

Synonyms of obscurity

• ambiguity
• ambiguousness
• mysteriousness

Examples of obscurity in a Sentence

In recent years, the tradition has emerged from obscurity.

He has been living in relative obscurity in a small town in the mountains.

After a promising first novel, she faded into obscurity.

Recent Examples on the Web

Tavares broke in before the age of social media, and in the relative obscurity of the Long Island market. — Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Her enormous catalog is full of fascinating obscurities, like her fuzz bass experiment on Elvis Presley’s title song for his 1970 film Change of Habit. — Al Shipley, SPIN, 8 Sep. 2026

The historic watchmaker, which clocked nearly two centuries in the industry before fading into obscurity in the early 1990s, has officially relaunched with the help of Breitling. — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 3 Sep. 2026

The Canadian actress returned to her native country for Heartaches (1981), alongside Annie Potts, and Patricia Rozema’s White Room (1990), but her work in the ’80s and ’90s was in general a mix of small parts, obscurities, and TV movies. — Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English obscurite, borrowed from Anglo-French oscurté, obscurité, borrowed from Latin obscūritāt-, obscūritās, from obscūrus "dim, dark, imperfectly known, concealed from knowledge, incomprehensible" + -itāt-, -itās -ity — more at obscure entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for obscurity

• impurity
• maturity
• security
• biosecurity
• cybersecurity
• immaturity
• insecurity
• prematurity
• purity
• surety

Kids Definition

obscurity

noun

ob·​scu·​ri·​ty äb-ˈskyu̇r-ət-ē 

əb-

plural obscurities

1

: something that is obscure

2

: the quality or state of being obscure