Obscure Definition
ŏb-skyo͝or, əb-
obscured, obscures, obscurest, obscuring, obscurer
adjective
obscurest, obscurer
Lacking light; dim; dark; murky.
The obscure night.
Webster's New World
So faintly perceptible as to lack clear delineation; indistinct.
An obscure figure in the fog.
American Heritage
Not easily perceived.
Webster's New World
Not well-known; not famous.
An obscure scientist.
Webster's New World
Indistinctly heard; faint.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
verb
obscured, obscures, obscuring
To make obscure.
Webster's New World
To make difficult to discern mentally or understand.
The meaning of the text was obscured by its difficult language.
American Heritage
To make (a vowel) obscure.
Webster's New World
To diminish the stature of; overshadow or detract from.
American Heritage
To hide, put out of sight etc.
Wiktionary
Antonyms:
noun
Something obscure or unknown.
American Heritage
Webster's New World
Other Word Forms of Obscure
Adjective
Origin of Obscure
-
From French obscur, from Latin obscÅ«rus (“dark, dusky, indistinct"), possibly, from ob (“over") + -scurus (“covered"), from root scu (“cover"), seen also in scutum (“a shield"); see scutum, sky.
From Wiktionary
-
Middle English from Old French obscur from Latin obscūrus (s)keu- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Obscure Is Also Mentioned In
Find Similar Words
Find similar words to obscure using the buttons below.