obscurity

noun

ob·scu·ri·ty äb-ˈskyu̇r-ə-tē

əb-

plural obscurities

Synonyms of obscurity next

: one that is obscure

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

Penelope Green

: the quality or state of being obscure

novels that have faded into obscurity

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 That single sentence was the turning point for Sandy Smith, who'd been fighting to keep her son's case from fading into obscurity, even writing letters to high-level politicians and the FBI. —

Gayane Keshishyan Mendez, CBS News, 22 Nov. 2023 At the height of their fame, the band split up and fell into obscurity. —

Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Nov. 2023 After her death, in 1956, her work fell into relative obscurity. —

Maggie Lange, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2023 That seems only fitting since the Burlsworth is awarded to a player whose career began in obscurity — as a walk-on — before making a name for himself. —

Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Oct. 2023 The strip club in North Hollywood was jolted out of obscurity in March of last year when more than a dozen dancers began picketing outside the club. —

Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2023 In The Earth Transformed Peter Frankopan turns the climate into a historical character whose relationship with the other characters—us—needs rescuing from obscurity. —

Christopher De Bellaigue, The New York Review of Books, 2 Nov. 2023 But Gálvez emerged from virtual obscurity, helped largely by daily public criticism from López Obrador, to become the consensus candidate of the largely directionless opposition. —

Maria Verza, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Sep. 2023 Just as security through obscurity never really guarantees that code will run safely, guarding the workings of powerful AI models may not be the smartest way to proceed. —

Will Knight, WIRED, 24 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'obscurity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of obscurity was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century