1
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
a fantasy writer who likes to put lots of obscure references and images in her tales of wizards and warlocks
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unknown
not widely known
he's an obscure artist now, but he's sure to be famous someday
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3
as in darkened
being without light or without much light
hid in an obscure spot among the trees
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4
as in vague
not seen or understood clearly
a distinction so obscure that only the experts can really see it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to conceal
to keep secret or shut off from view
the investigative reporters obscured their real motives for visiting the company by pretending the story was about something else
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2
as in to blur
to make dark, dim, or indistinct
when it isn't obscured by smog, the view of the city from the observatory can be spectacular
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obscure
Jonathan Burgos, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Robinson also explained the obscure engravings found on bullet casings that were left behind at the scene.
—Connor Greene, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
Ted Katauskas, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
However, because capital appropriates the powers of living labor to itself, the distinctiveness of the latter is deeply obscured.
—Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscure
Adjective
Sunway was transformed by Jeffrey Cheah from an obscure tin-mining company over the five decades into one of Malaysia’s biggest conglomerates with interests in construction, education, healthcare, infrastructure and real estate.
—Jonathan Burgos, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Robinson also explained the obscure engravings found on bullet casings that were left behind at the scene.
—Connor Greene, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
Because the Forest Service was doing construction work around the trailhead parking area, a mound of dirt obscured the sign to the Halfmoon trail.
—Ted Katauskas, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
However, because capital appropriates the powers of living labor to itself, the distinctiveness of the latter is deeply obscured.
—Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obscure
Adjective
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Total repatriations When examining total repatriations — people returned to their country of origin — a more ambiguous picture emerges.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Whereas many tech deals are conducted in equity of ambiguous value, this one was done in cold, hard cash, though the product itself is by no means a sure bet.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Her first best friend was a girl called Daphne, who died suddenly, for reasons unknown; her new friend Frances Niven also liked reading and writing.—
Frances Wilson
September 23,
Literary Hub,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Though starting a new, unknown chapter, Shearer decided to publicly share everything from her decision to shave her head to her varied complications and hospital visits.—
Lexy Perez,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Over the weekend, around 16,000 people paid their respects to the designer at his funeral chamber at the Armani Teatro designed by Tadao Ando, filled with white flowers and paper lanterns on the floor in a diagonal grid formation dimly lit up the darkened venue.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Harris left her political future up in the air, providing vague details about her plans going forward.—
Sydney Topf,
The Washington Examiner,
23 Sep. 2025
-
The college did not advertise the underlying purpose of the land transfer ahead of Tuesday’s vote, posting only a vague agenda describing plans to convey unnamed property to Florida’s Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The family travelled north from Central America for weeks, crossing rivers by night and riding concealed in smugglers’ trucks.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Gardner orchestrates the scene; placing the girl in the center, then asking her, or perhaps even demonstrating, how to wrap the blanket around her body so her hands are concealed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Myopia is when someone can see objects close-up but their vision becomes blurred when looking at objects farther away, and astigmatism is a condition in which either the eye’s cornea or lens has a different shape than normal, causing blurred vision.—
Jacqueline Howard,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
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Floor-to-ceiling windows and expansive terraces blur the line between indoors and out, while interiors balance modern elegance with a sense of calm.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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While filming season 3 of Special Forces, Bachelorette alum Trista Sutter's husband, Ryan Sutter, shared a cryptic Instagram post about her being gone, which sparked speculation about their relationship status.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
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At some point, though, meaning that is sufficiently cryptic becomes indistinguishable from no meaning at all.—
Kathryn Schulz,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But what these murky recommendations largely obscure is the data, which overwhelmingly supports the use of COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy, as evidenced by a massive analysis set to be presented this weekend at an American Academy of Pediatrics conference.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
26 Sep. 2025
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Or is there something murkier here, the leftovers of words or ideas secreted behind the picture frames or even in the very walls themselves?—
Katie da Cunha Lewin
September 26,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obscure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obscure. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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