obscurity

1 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 ambiguity, ambiguousness, darkness, equivocalness, equivocation, inscrutability, inscrutableness, murkiness, mysteriousness, nebulosity, nebulousness, obliqueness, obliquity, opacity, opaqueness Related Words mystery, reconditeness; cloudiness, dimness, faintness, fogginess, fuzziness, haziness, indefiniteness, indistinctness, mistiness, shade, shadow, uncertainty, vagueness; impenetrability, incomprehensibility, incomprehensibleness; circuitousness, circuity, indirectness; deepness, depth, profoundness; abstruseness, abstrusity, complexity, complication, difficulty, obtuseness Near Antonyms comprehensibility, intelligibility, legibility; brightness, distinctness, self-evidence; certainty, surety; definiteness, exactness, explicitness, incision, incisiveness, lucidity, lucidness, perspicuity, perspicuousness; directness, forthrightness, openness, straightforwardness; palpability, tangibility, tangibleness, visibility; readability, readableness; obviousness Antonyms clarity, clearness, obviousness, plainness

2 the quality or state of being mostly or completely unknown the singer languished in relative obscurity for years before becoming famous Synonyms anonymity, facelessness, namelessness, nowhere, nowheresville, silence Related Words oblivion; inconspicuousness, invisibility, invisibleness; insignificance; unpopularity Near Antonyms character, mark, name, note, rep [slang], report, reputation, repute; favor, popularity; importance, significance; distinction, eminence, glory, greatness, honor, illustriousness, note, preeminence, prominence; megastardom, superstardom; cachet, kudos, position, prestige, rank, standing, stature; acclaim, acknowledgment (or acknowledgement), praise, recognition; adoration, idolization Antonyms celebrity, fame, notoriety, renown

3 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 impenetrability, inscrutableness, mysteriousness, numinousness, inscrutability, uncanninessRelated Words deepness, profundity; darkness, murkiness, inscrutability, shadowiness, vagueness; ambiguity, equivocality, equivocalness; incomprehensibility, unintelligibility, unintelligibleness; inexplicability, inexplicableness; unanswerability; unknowability; abstruseness, abstrusity, esotericism, hermetism, reconditenessNear Antonyms intelligibility, understandability; clarity, obviousness, plainness, self-evidence, straightforwardness, transparency