obscurity
English · Thesaurus
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obscurity
- /əbˈskjʊəɹɪti/ UK
- /əbˈskjɔːɹɪti/ UK
- /əbˈskjʊɹɪti/ US
- /əbˈskjɝɪti/ US
Where it comes from
From Middle English obscurite, obscuryte, from Middle French obscurité and its etymon Latin obscūritās. By surface analysis, obscure + -ity.
noun obscurities
- Darkness; the absence of light. The night was considerably clearer than anybody on board her desired when the schooner Ventura headed for the land. It rose in places, black and sharp against the velvety indigo, over her dipping bow, though most of the low littoral was wrapped in obscurity.
-
The state of being unknown; a thing that is unknown.
She was plucked from obscurity to star in a Broadway musical.
Similar: unknownness
- The quality of being difficult to understand; a thing that is difficult to understand.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: obscureness, abstruseness, reconditeness, darkness, opaqueness, shade, opacity, gloom, confusion, mystique, mystery, dark, vagueness, uncertainty, secrecy, ambiguity
Translations
Every language
noun darkness; the absence of light
| Español | oscuridad |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 闇 yami, 暗黒 ankoku |
| 中文 | 黑暗 hēi'àn |
| Português | obscuridade |
| Français | obscurité |
| Italiano | oscurità |
| Ελληνικά | σκότος skótos, σκοτεινότητα skoteinótita |
| Română | obscuritate |
| Русский | мрак mrak, темнота́ temnotá, тьма tʹma |
noun The state of being unknown; a thing that is unknown
| Español | obscuridad, obscuración |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 無名 mumei |
| हिन्दी | अख्याति akhyāti |
| Ελληνικά | αφάνεια afáneia, ασημότητα asimótita, ταπεινότητα tapeinótita |
| Русский | неизве́стность neizvéstnostʹ, безве́стность bezvéstnostʹ |
noun The quality of being difficult to understand; a thing that is difficult to understand
| Español | obscuridad, obscuración |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | गहनता gahantā, दुर्बोध्यता durbodhyatā |
| Ελληνικά | ασάφεια asáfeia, θολότητα tholótita |
| Русский | нея́сность nejásnostʹ |
| العربية | إِبْهَام ʔibhām, خَفاء ḵafāʔ |
Talk about this word "obscurity." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/obscurity. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. obscurity. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/obscurity "obscurity." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/obscurity.Cite this
@misc{obscurity_2026,
title = {obscurity},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/obscurity},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
