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

Shares jumped over 500%, as investors clamored for a piece of a firm that has risen from obscurity to compete with rivals such as Samsung and Micron at home amid an AI-induced demand boom. — Yue Wang, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

For more than two decades, its streets and structures were preserved in underwater silence, only emerging from obscurity in the early 2000s, when the waters surrounding it began to recede. — Kieron Marchese, Architectural Digest, 27 July 2026

The son of a small-town high school football coach in Pennsylvania coal country, Chesney had risen from obscurity to … more obscurity. — Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026

Strong, once the most infamous and most wanted person in the country, had faded into obscurity. — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 25 July 2026