Synonyms of obscurity

obscurity

noun

äb-ˈskyu̇r-ə-tē 

1

as in ambiguity

the quality or state of having a veiled or uncertain meaning

the 16th-century astrologer's predictions are so filled with obscurity that people can interpret them any way they want

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ambiguity
• ambiguousness
• mysteriousness
• mystery
• uncertainty
• darkness
• murkiness
• opaqueness
• nebulousness
• inscrutability
• opacity
• obliqueness
• complexity
• nebulosity
• obliquity
• equivocation
• dimness
• vagueness
• indistinctness
• depth
• equivocalness
• haziness
• impenetrability
• incomprehensibility
• inscrutableness
• indefiniteness
• mistiness
• cloudiness
• faintness
• fuzziness
• fogginess
• profoundness
• difficulty
• shadow
• obtuseness
• indirectness
• abstruseness
• circuity
• complication
• deepness
• shade
• reconditeness
• incomprehensibleness
• circuitousness
• abstrusity

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• clarity
• clearness
• brightness
• obviousness
• plainness
• certainty
• intelligibility
• legibility
• comprehensibility
• distinctness
• surety
• lucidity
• exactness
• visibility
• incision
• perspicuity
• definiteness
• openness
• incisiveness
• directness
• explicitness
• straightforwardness
• forthrightness
• readability
• tangibility
• self-evidence
• obviousness
• lucidness
• perspicuousness
• palpability
• tangibleness
• readableness

2

as in oblivion

the quality or state of being mostly or completely unknown

the singer languished in relative obscurity for years before becoming famous

Synonyms & Similar Words

• oblivion
• silence
• anonymity
• nowhere
• namelessness
• facelessness
• nowheresville
• invisibility
• insignificance
• inconspicuousness
• unpopularity
• invisibleness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fame
• notoriety
• name
• renown
• reputation
• celebrity
• popularity
• importance
• report
• character
• significance
• repute
• prominence
• favor
• mark
• glory
• greatness
• note
• eminence
• rep
• position
• distinction
• honor
• preeminence
• prestige
• stature
• recognition
• standing
• rank
• praise
• acclaim
• cachet
• acknowledgment
• superstardom
• illustriousness
• adoration
• megastardom
• kudos
• idolization

3

as in mysteriousness

the quality or state of being impossible to know, understand, or explain

her novels were favored by gullible critics who confuse obscurity with profundity

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mysteriousness
• ambiguity
• impenetrability
• uncanniness
• darkness
• inscrutability
• profundity
• vagueness
• murkiness
• numinousness
• unintelligibility
• incomprehensibility
• inscrutableness
• deepness
• inexplicability
• equivocality
• shadowiness
• unknowability
• esotericism
• abstruseness
• equivocalness
• unintelligibleness
• unanswerability
• hermetism
• inexplicableness
• abstrusity
• reconditeness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• intelligibility
• understandability
• transparency
• clarity
• obviousness
• plainness
• straightforwardness
• self-evidence

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of obscurity

From obscurity to the top of the football world, all in the matter of a few days. — Sam McDowell 29, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2026

Her hypnotic, unconventional works propelled her from near-obscurity to a place in the world’s most prominent museums. — Juno Carmel, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2026

The film will likely depict the Ploughman’s rise from obscurity to notorious outlaw, though most retellings of his story have been set centuries before the Peasants’ Revolt. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026

The Wiener Werkstätte’s undue obscurity may have something to do with not only those epistolary expressions of skepticism by the founding fathers of the Frankfurt School, but also Hoffmann’s latter-day Nazism, which in this show goes unmentioned. — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 Aug. 2026