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
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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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obscurity
His journey from Cleveland Heights, Ohio to eventually Canton, Ohio — from obscurity to international fame and a romance woven into American culture — came thisclose to never happening.
—
Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2025
The right is being horrifyingly plain in bleating their bigotry, but they’re also lost in linguistic obscurities.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
By the time Sega backed out of the hardware race post-Dreamcast, Shinobi mostly limped on with a couple of 3D entries for PlayStation and Nintendo platforms before fading into obscurity.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
Yet its studio unceremoniously dumped it and never released it on DVD or Blu-ray, leaving it to languish in obscurity for decades.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscurity
Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2025
The right is being horrifyingly plain in bleating their bigotry, but they’re also lost in linguistic obscurities.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
By the time Sega backed out of the hardware race post-Dreamcast, Shinobi mostly limped on with a couple of 3D entries for PlayStation and Nintendo platforms before fading into obscurity.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
Yet its studio unceremoniously dumped it and never released it on DVD or Blu-ray, leaving it to languish in obscurity for decades.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscurity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obscurity
Noun
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According to the outlet’s research findings, uncertainty and ambiguity are hallmarks of entrepreneurship.—
Jasmine Browley,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Curiosity and possibly even lust play into their first encounter; part of the welcome complexity between this pale-skinned woman of substance and this tall, equally alabaster, formerly dead drink of water is the ambiguity in their initial interactions.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Chandra X-ray Observatory, a sophisticated orbiting telescope, detected an X-ray flare leap from the center of the Milky Way into oblivion, offering nearly conclusive proof.—
Rebecca 'Becca' Dyer,
AZCentral.com,
5 Sep. 2025
-
And oh yes, the top half stretched to oblivion.—
Emily Temple
August 29,
Literary Hub,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Inside the West Wing, staff sat in shocked silence, scrolling to see the latest updates of news on their phones and messages on their computer screens.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
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After a near-fatal experience, Kaif began seeing both stories and silences differently.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Some saw the alerts on televisions in the West Wing, others on social media, according to White House staffers who discussed the events on the condition of anonymity.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
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Robinson refused at first, but then changed his mind, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obscurity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obscurity. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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