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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in darkened
being without light or without much light
hid in an obscure spot among the trees
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in vague
not seen or understood clearly
a distinction so obscure that only the experts can really see it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obscure
Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 7 June 2026
For those visiting Maryland, McFadden advises seeking out obscure spots.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
Jessi Jezewska Stevens, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
Tall vegetation surrounding the crash site obscured the scene from the roadway, Rains said.
—Velvet Wu
june 8, Sacbee.com, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for obscure
Adjective
Frankie Knuckles, a New Yorker who moved to Chicago in the ’70s, began spinning at a West Loop spot called the Warehouse in 1977, seamlessly mixing American and European disco with obscure soul and electronic records.
—Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 7 June 2026
For those visiting Maryland, McFadden advises seeking out obscure spots.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
Verb
Outside a stone farmhouse, a tractor was partly obscured by an orchard that had erupted in white blossoms.
—Jessi Jezewska Stevens, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
Tall vegetation surrounding the crash site obscured the scene from the roadway, Rains said.
—Velvet Wu
june 8, Sacbee.com, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for obscure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obscure
Adjective
-
The entity known as Mother is left ambiguous, as is the tree inside the Cave of Wonders, but there are hints to their true nature.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
If a serious spending-reduction effort were somehow mounted anyway, the result would likely be positive for bonds — but ambiguous for equities, since the economic drag could easily outweigh the benefit of lower interest rates.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Then the team, for unknown reasons, withdrew from the East Asian championship in 2019, and missed the 2023 World Cup, citing the Covid-19 pandemic.—
Andrew McNicol,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
-
The circumstances surrounding the shooting area unknown at this time.—
Elyssa Kaufman,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
Adjective
-
She’s talked up her push to convert darkened streetlights, many of them stripped of their copper wire, to solar power.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
-
In the darkened foyer, Ember contemplated this unassuming bit of paper, momentarily paralyzed by a mixture of dread and excitement stirred together, an overpowering sensation that oozed from the crown of her head, down the length of her body, then hardened, like a soft golden resin becoming solid.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Shared progress grows when comfort leads the way and one warm connection turns a vague hope into movement.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 June 2026
-
Workers thought the vague language of the law could be enforced, but employers thought otherwise.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Located in a region with a rich mining history, the mine was worked in the 1880s before being concealed when the hillside was blasted down.—
Alia Beard Rau,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
-
It is further alleged that the accused were able to conceal the situation by not allowing the minor access to medical appointments and removing them from church activities, Our Quad Cities reports, citing the affidavits.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
The uncertainty about who has legal jurisdiction over Alligator Alcatraz—the federal government or the state of Florida—blurs the lines of accountability and oversight.—
Eric Schlosser,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
-
With every pluck, the strings seem to vibrate in the air in front of you, blurring like bees’ wings.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Although Suki Waterhouse did confirm that she is set to attend, most of the couple's friends have been very cryptic about the status of their wedding invites.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
3 June 2026
-
Coaches and teammates have struggled to remain in contact with him, and AIyuk’s rare social media posts have been both cryptic and lacking clues about his football ambitions.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
The exact outcome of that mini-summit remains murky.—
Andrew P. Collins,
The Drive,
11 June 2026
-
Some answers, though, fell on the edge of this somewhat murky threshold—thus the slight toss-up in final scores.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obscure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obscure. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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