as in darkened
being without light or without much light
an obscured area of the prison yard that was the perfect escape route
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in concealed
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 & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in blurred
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 & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of obscured
Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
However, sources say the tour’s production is working at improving the areas with obscured sightlines.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 19 May 2026
But the specifics, the why behind each decision, the next move waiting around the corner – those remain deliberately obscured.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2026
The interior worlds of these women remain obscured and their motivations go unexplored.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2026
In an ordinary car with an ordinary dash, all of that would live behind the cluster and relatively obscured from view, or ignored.
—Adam Ismail, The Drive, 18 Feb. 2026
If your writing is dense, disorganized, or overloaded with technical jargon, the value of the underlying work can become obscured.
—Angelique Parashis, IEEE Spectrum, 18 Feb. 2026
The findings suggest that the heavily obscured galactic nuclei of galaxies like IRAS 07251–0248 could act as a production line for organic molecules, thus chemically enhancing their home systems.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Allen was driving on Eight Mile Road in Detroit when she was stopped for traffic violations that included a window tint and an obscured license plate, her lawsuit said.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Joe Otterson, Variety, 12 June 2026
The Islamic Republic of Iran has accelerated its executions of dissidents and activists, with the true number of victims likely obscured by the regime’s internet censorship and blackout.
—Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026
The old model obscured the relationship between advertiser and editorial.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 June 2026
This definition of Black maternal dispossession simply aims to examine the many ways that Black motherhood is obscured and rendered an archival impossibility for research in my attempt to define it.
—Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
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
Its sparse consumption of material and the fact it is obscured by the plane of the Milky Way from our vantage point have made tracing this wind difficult.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 5 June 2026
What, then, is being obscured—beyond the view?
—Erika Landström, Artforum, 2 June 2026
Adjective
In some cases, apps disclose the behavior, often in small or obscured print.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
However, sources say the tour’s production is working at improving the areas with obscured sightlines.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 19 May 2026
But the specifics, the why behind each decision, the next move waiting around the corner – those remain deliberately obscured.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2026
The interior worlds of these women remain obscured and their motivations go unexplored.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2026
In an ordinary car with an ordinary dash, all of that would live behind the cluster and relatively obscured from view, or ignored.
—Adam Ismail, The Drive, 18 Feb. 2026
If your writing is dense, disorganized, or overloaded with technical jargon, the value of the underlying work can become obscured.
—Angelique Parashis, IEEE Spectrum, 18 Feb. 2026
The findings suggest that the heavily obscured galactic nuclei of galaxies like IRAS 07251–0248 could act as a production line for organic molecules, thus chemically enhancing their home systems.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Allen was driving on Eight Mile Road in Detroit when she was stopped for traffic violations that included a window tint and an obscured license plate, her lawsuit said.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
Wilson was most often seen behind his fence (with his face mostly obscured), offering moral guidance and wisdom to Tim and the rest of the Taylor family.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 12 June 2026
The Islamic Republic of Iran has accelerated its executions of dissidents and activists, with the true number of victims likely obscured by the regime’s internet censorship and blackout.
—Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026
The old model obscured the relationship between advertiser and editorial.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 June 2026
This definition of Black maternal dispossession simply aims to examine the many ways that Black motherhood is obscured and rendered an archival impossibility for research in my attempt to define it.
—Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
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
Its sparse consumption of material and the fact it is obscured by the plane of the Milky Way from our vantage point have made tracing this wind difficult.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 5 June 2026
What, then, is being obscured—beyond the view?
—Erika Landström, Artforum, 2 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obscured
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
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
-
Many of Storey’s unauthorized expenditures were concealed among legitimate charges, the affidavit said.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, hospital visits and funerals of friends blurred together.—
Christina Ray Stanton,
Time,
2 June 2026
-
Brown had blurred her daughter's face.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
2 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
Verb
-
They’re crafted from water-resistant material that’s perfect for heading straight from the airport to the beach, thanks to an airy design that keeps feet covered and cool even on hot days.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
12 June 2026
-
Environmental activist group Save RGV (for Rio Grande Valley) contends the company's rocket launches have left nearby homes covered in debris, disrupted native wildlife and harmed air quality.—
Maya Blackstone,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
The prospect of flying Artemis III next year was further clouded by the May 28 explosion of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket at the vehicle’s only launch pad in Florida, causing catastrophic damage to the facilities there.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
-
Black plumes of smoke clouded the skies as thousands of participants arrived in the city.—
Zahra Ullah,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
Adjective
-
Its dark terrain is constantly changing due to lava flows from Kilauea or Mauna Loa – two of the most active volcanoes in the world, according to the National Park Service website.—
Alia Beard Rau,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
-
Some find the last scene ambiguous, multivalent; some dark; others comic.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
The couple is seeking $25 million in damages, claiming that because their team didn’t have the documents suppressed, they were convicted on every count.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
-
Ukraine's air force said Russia launched two ballistic missiles and 221 drones in its latest barrage, of which 195 drones were intercepted or otherwise suppressed.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obscured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obscured. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
