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 ambiguous, arcane, cryptic, dark, deep, Delphic, double-edged, elliptical (or elliptic), enigmatic (also enigmatical), equivocal, fuliginous, inscrutable, murky, mysterious, mystic, nebulous, occult, opaque Related Words 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 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 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 nameless, no-name, noteless, uncelebrated, unfamous, unknown, unrecognized, unsung Related Words insignificant, minor, unimportant; undistinguished, unexceptional, unremarkable; unpopular; anonymous, faceless, unnoticeable, unrecognizable; unnewsworthy, unnoticed; forgotten, unremembered Near Antonyms 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 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 black, caliginous, darkened, darkish, darkling, darksome, dim, dimmed, dusk, dusky, gloomy, lightless, murky, dark, obscured, pitch-black, pitch-dark, pitchy, rayless, somber (or sombre), stygian, tenebrific, tenebrous, unlitRelated Words crepuscular, twilit; moonless, starless, sunless; cloudy, dull, dulled, lackluster; shadowlike, shadowy, shady; gray (also grey), leaden, pale; beclouded, befogged, clouded, foggy, fuliginous, misty, smoggy, soupyNear Antonyms 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, sunlitAntonyms 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 blear, bleary, blurry, dim, foggy, fuzzy, gauzy, hazy, indefinite, indistinct, indistinguishable, misty, murky, nebulous, faint, opaque, pale, shadowy, unclear, undefined, undetermined, vagueRelated Words dark, dusky, gloomy; impalpable, inappreciable, intangible, invisible; hieroglyphic (also hieroglyphical), incomprehensible, indecipherable, indiscernible, inexplicable, mysterious, obfuscatory, puzzlingNear Antonyms bright, distinct, evident, obvious, plain; certain, firm, strong, sureAntonyms clear, definite, pellucid

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 belie, blanket, blot out, cloak, conceal, cover, curtain, disguise, enshroud, mask, hide, occult, paper over, screen, shroud, suppress, veilRelated Words bury, camouflage, cover (up), smother; gild, gloss (over), varnish, whitewash; becloud, bedim, befog, block, cloud, darken, eclipse, obstruct, occlude, overcast, overshadow, shadeNear Antonyms bring out, present; clarify, illuminate; advertise, air, broadcast, get out, proclaim, publicize, publish, spreadAntonyms bare, disclose, display, divulge, expose, reveal, show, uncloak, uncover, unmask, unveil

2 to make dark, dim, or indistinct when it isn't obscured by smog, the view of the city from the observatory can be spectacular Synonyms becloud, bedim, befog, blacken, blear, blur, darken, dim, dislimn, fog, fuzz (up), haze, mist, cloud, overcast, overcloud, overshadow, shadow, shroudRelated Words adumbrate, blot out, conceal, eclipse, hide, obliterate, screen, shade; camouflage, cloak, cover, curtain, disguise, mask, veilNear Antonyms expose, reveal, uncover, unveilAntonyms brighten, illuminate, illumine, light (up), lighten