Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

obscure

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of obscure

1 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 of obscure

ambiguous, arcane, cryptic, dark, deep, Delphic, double-edged, elliptical (or elliptic), enigmatic (also enigmatical), equivocal, fuliginous, inscrutable, murky, mysterious, mystic, nebulous, occult, opaque
Words Related to obscure

abstruse, esoteric, recondite

cloaked, concealed, disguised, masked, shrouded

beclouded, bedimmed, befogged, clouded, cloudy, dim, faint, foggy, fuzzy, hazy, indistinct, indistinguishable, misty, muddy, obfuscatory, obnubilated, obscurant (or obscurantic), shaded, shadowlike, shadowy, sphinxlike

indefinite, inexact, inexplicit, noncommittal, questionable, unclear, uncertain, undefined, undetermined, vague

impenetrable, incomprehensible, indecipherable, inexplicable

eerie (also eery), uncanny, weird

impalpable, inappreciable, intangible, invisible

unanswerable, unknowable

baffling, bewildering, confounding, confusing, mystifying, perplexing, puzzling, unfathomable

circuitous, indirect, roundabout

complex, complicated, difficult, obtuse
Near Antonyms of obscure

comprehensible, fathomable, intelligible, knowable, legible, pellucid, understandable

bright, distinct, evident, self-evident, self-explanatory

certain, firm, strong, sure

defined, determined

direct, straightforward

definite, exact, explicit

appreciable, palpable, tangible, visible

blatant, patent, unmistakable
Antonyms of obscure

accessible, clear, nonambiguous, obvious, plain, unambiguous, unequivocal

2 not widely known

  • he's an obscure artist now, but he's sure to be famous someday
Synonyms of obscure

nameless, no-name, noteless, uncelebrated, unfamous, unknown, unrecognized, unsung
Words Related to obscure

insignificant, minor, unimportant

undistinguished, unexceptional, unremarkable

unpopular

anonymous, faceless, unnoticeable, unrecognizable

unnewsworthy, unnoticed

forgotten, unremembered
Near Antonyms of obscure

fabled, fabulous, legendary

infamous

distinguished, eminent, exceptional, great, illustrious, notable, outstanding, prestigious, remarkable

estimable, honorable, reputable, respectable

important, influential, leading, major, newsworthy, noteworthy, significant

favorite, popular, preferred
Antonyms of obscure

celebrated, famed, famous, noted, notorious, prominent, renowned, well-known

3 being without light or without much light

  • hid in an obscure spot among the trees
Synonyms of obscure

black, caliginous, dark, darkened, darkish, darkling, darksome, dim, dimmed, dusk, dusky, gloomy, lightless, murky, obscured, pitch-black, pitch-dark, pitchy, rayless, somber (or sombre), stygian, tenebrific, tenebrous, unlit
Words Related to obscure

crepuscular, twilit

moonless, starless, sunless

cloudy, dull, dulled, lackluster

shadowlike, shadowy, shady

gray (also grey), leaden, pale

beclouded, befogged, clouded, foggy, fuliginous, misty, smoggy, soupy
Near Antonyms of obscure

ablaze, agleam, aglitter, alight, beaming, beamy, effulgent, glaring, glowing, incandescent, lambent, radiant, relucent, resplendent, shining, sparkling

ultrabright

glossy, lustrous, shiny

floodlit (also floodlighted), highlighted, spotlighted (or spotlit)

moonlit, moony, starlit, sunlit
Antonyms of obscure

bright, brightened, brilliant, illuminated, illumined, light, lit (or lighted), lightsome, lucent, lucid, luminous

4 not seen or understood clearly

  • a distinction so obscure that only the experts can really see it
Synonyms of obscure

blear, bleary, blurry, dim, faint, foggy, fuzzy, gauzy, hazy, indefinite, indistinct, indistinguishable, misty, murky, nebulous, opaque, pale, shadowy, unclear, undefined, undetermined, vague
Words Related to obscure

dark, dusky, gloomy

impalpable, inappreciable, intangible, invisible

hieroglyphic (also hieroglyphical), incomprehensible, indecipherable, indiscernible, inexplicable, mysterious, obfuscatory, puzzling
Near Antonyms of obscure

bright, distinct, evident, obvious, plain

certain, firm, strong, sure
Antonyms of obscure

clear, definite, pellucid

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

Synonyms and Antonyms of obscure

1 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
Synonyms of obscure

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

bury, camouflage, cover (up), smother

gild, gloss (over), varnish, whitewash

becloud, bedim, befog, block, cloud, darken, eclipse, obstruct, occlude, overcast, overshadow, shade
Near Antonyms of obscure

bring out, present

clarify, illuminate

advertise, air, broadcast, get out, proclaim, publicize, publish, spread
Antonyms of obscure

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

2 to make dark, dim, or indistinct

  • when it isnʼt obscured by smog, the view of the city from the observatory can be spectacular
Synonyms of obscure

becloud, bedim, befog, blacken, blear, blur, cloud, darken, dim, dislimn, fog, fuzz (up), haze, mist, overcast, overcloud, overshadow, shadow, shroud
Words Related to obscure

adumbrate, blot out, conceal, eclipse, hide, obliterate, screen, shade

camouflage, cloak, cover, curtain, disguise, mask, veil
Near Antonyms of obscure

expose, reveal, uncover, unveil
Antonyms of obscure

brighten, illuminate, illumine, light (up), lighten

Learn More about obscure

  1. See words that rhyme with obscure Dictionary: Definition of obscure Spanish Central: Translation of obscure Nglish: Translation of obscure for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of obscure for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up obscure? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

admonish

to express warning or disapproval

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. gaslight It is a word, though.

  2. invasion CNN reporter questions President.

  3. relevancy Ariana Grande slams ex-fiancé.

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games