obscure
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obscure
- /əbˈskjʊə(ɹ)/ UK
- /əbˈskjɔː(ɹ)/ UK
- /əbˈskjʊɹ/ US
- /əbˈskjɝ/ US
Rhymes with -ʊə(ɹ), -ɔː(ɹ), -ɜː(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English obscure, from Old French obscur, from Latin obscūrus (“dark, dusky, indistinct”), from ob- + *scūrus, from Proto-Italic *skoiros, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱeh₃-. Doublet of oscuro.
adjective obscurer · more obscure · obscurest · most obscure
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Dark, faint or indistinct.
I found myself in an obscure wood.
Similar: cimmerian, dingy, fuzzy, ill-defined, adumbral, blear, caliginous, crepuscular, dark, darksome, darkling, dim · Opposite: clear, distinct, alight, illuminated, inlighted, lighted, lighty, lit, lit up, luminous, acute, keen
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Hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous.
The obscure bird / Clamoured the livelong night.
Similar: occluded, secluded, covered, concealed, dark, dern, hidden, invisible, inward, latent, nondisplayed, obfuscated · Opposite: clear, straightforward, apparent, bare, displayed, distinct, evident, exposed, certain, indubitable, manifest, notorious
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Difficult to understand; abstruse.
an obscure passage or inscription; The speaker made obscure references to little-known literary works.
Similar: fathomless, inscrutable, abstruse, Chinese, dense, enigmatic, bottomless, Greek, inapprehensible, incognizable, incomprehensible, ineffable · Opposite: clear, apprehensible, limpid, comprehensible, explainable, explicable, explicatable, fathomable, graspable, illuminable, intelligible, lucid
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Not well-known.
Of all the medical monsters Peter Hotez could have set out to slay, the Yale University researcher could not have chosen a more wily and obscure villain than the hookworm.
Similar: enigmatic, esoteric, mysterious, arcane, dark, mystic, obscure, occult, recondite · Opposite: accessible, open, well-known, bait, fabled, famed, famous, famoused, iconic, irrecondite, known, legendary
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Unknown or uncertain; unclear.
The etymological roots of the word "blizzard" are obscure and open to debate.
Similar: ignote, unascertained, undiscovered, knownless, strange, obscure, unapprehended, unexplained, unfamiliar, uninvestigated, unknown, unrecognized · Opposite: clear, known, accustomed, acquainted, familiar, habitual, predictable, routine, wonted, wontish
verb obscures · obscuring · obscured
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To render obscure; to darken; to make dim; to keep in the dark; to hide; to make less visible, intelligible, legible, glorious, beautiful, or illustrious.
They are all couched in a pit hard by Herne's oak, with obscured lights.
Similar: becloud, bedarken, bedim, bemist · Opposite: belight, beshine, alight, bright, enlighten, fire, illume, illuminate, illumine, illustrate, irradiate, light
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To hide, put out of sight etc.
It has been little altered over the years save for the addition of a platform awning which rather obscures the arcaded entrance to the booking hall.
Similar: conceal, occult, secrete, obliterate · Opposite: disclose, reveal, show, bare, bewray, betray, display, expose, find out, lay bare, luster, nake
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To conceal oneself; to hide.
How! There's bad news. / I must obscure, and hear it.
Similar: hide out, keep a low profile, lie low · Opposite: appear, show up
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: hidden, unclear, vague, isolated, invisible, indeterminate, confuse, unknown, incomprehensible, dishonorable, benight, inglorious, uncomprehensible, apart, unsung, inconspicuous
Translations
Every language
adj dark, faint or indistinct
| Español | obscuro |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 애매한 aemaehan |
| 日本語 | 朦朧とした mōrō to shita, 不明瞭 fumeiryō |
| 中文 | 不清楚 bù qīngchu, 陰暗 /阴暗 yīn'àn, 模糊 móhu |
| हिन्दी | धुंधला dhundhlā |
| Português | obscuro |
| Français | obscur |
| Deutsch | obskur, dunkel, vernebelt, finster, düster, undeutlich |
| Italiano | oscuro |
| Română | obscur, întunecos |
| Русский | тёмный tjómnyj, нея́сный nejásnyj, сму́тный smútnyj |
| Tiếng Việt | mờ mịt, tối tăm |
| العربية | مُظْلِم muẓlim |
adj hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
| 中文 | 不顯眼的 /不显眼的 bù xiǎnyǎn de, 不引人注意的 bù yǐn rén zhùyì de, 不起眼的 bùqǐyǎn de |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | धूमिल dhūmil |
| Deutsch | unbedeutend, versteckt, verborgen, unsichtbar, schleierhaft, unbekannt |
| Italiano | nascosto, oscurato |
| Română | obscur, retras, ascuns |
| Русский | скры́тый skrýtyj |
adj difficult to understand
| Español | obscuro, conceptuoso |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 艱澀 /艰涩 jiānsè, 晦澀 /晦涩 huìsè |
| Français | sibyllin |
| Deutsch | unverständlich |
| Italiano | confuso, poco chiaro, vago, indistinto |
| Русский | непоня́тный neponjátnyj, нея́сный nejásnyj, туманный tumannyj |
| Tiếng Việt | tối nghĩa |
adj not well-known
| Español | obscuro, conceptuoso |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 不為人知的 /不为人知的 bùwéirénzhī de, 默默無聞的 /默默无闻的 mòmòwúwén de, 名不見經傳的 /名不见经传的 míng bú jiàn jīngzhuàn de |
| Русский | малоизве́стный maloizvéstnyj |
| Tiếng Việt | ít người biết đến |
verb to darken, make faint
| Español | obscurecer |
|---|---|
| Français | obscurcir |
| Deutsch | verdunkeln, vernebeln, verunklaren, verwirren |
| Italiano | oscurare, offuscare |
| Română | obscura, întuneca |
| Русский | затемня́ть zatemnjátʹ |
verb to hide, put out of sight
| Español | esconder, ocultar, obscurecer, asconder, absconder (disused) |
|---|---|
| Français | obscurcir |
| Deutsch | verschleiern, verdecken, verbergen |
| Italiano | nascondere, occultare |
| Română | ascunde, oculta |
| Русский | скрыва́ть skryvátʹ, пря́тать prjátatʹ |
Talk about this word "obscure." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/obscure. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. obscure. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/obscure "obscure." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/obscure.Cite this
@misc{obscure_2026,
title = {obscure},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/obscure},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
