obscure
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ob·scure
(ŏb-skyo͝or′, əb-)adj. ob·scur·er, ob·scur·est
1. Deficient in light; dark: the obscure depths of a cave.
2.
a. So faintly perceptible as to lack clear delineation; indistinct: an obscure figure in the fog.
b. Indistinctly heard; faint.
c. Linguistics Having the reduced, neutral sound represented by schwa (ə).
3.
a. Far from centers of human population: an obscure village.
b. Out of sight; hidden: an obscure retreat.
4. Not readily noticed or seen; inconspicuous: an obscure flaw.
5. Of undistinguished or humble station or reputation: an obscure poet; an obscure family.
6. Not clearly understood or expressed; ambiguous or vague: Some say that Blake's style is obscure and complex. See Synonyms at ambiguous.
tr.v. ob·scured, ob·scur·ing, ob·scures
1. To make dim, indistinct, or impossible to see: "His face was obscured in shadow" (Rosemary Mahoney). See Synonyms at block.
2. To make difficult to discern mentally or understand: The meaning of the text was obscured by its difficult language.
3. To diminish the stature of; overshadow or detract from: "[His] character was so repellent that it has obscured his historical role" (David Rains Wallace).
4. Linguistics To reduce (a vowel) to the neutral sound represented by schwa (ə).
n.
Something obscure or unknown.
ob·scure′ly adv.
ob·scure′ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
obscure
(əbˈskjʊə)adj
1. unclear or abstruse
2. indistinct, vague, or indefinite
3. inconspicuous or unimportant
4. hidden, secret, or remote
5. (Phonetics & Phonology) (of a vowel) reduced to or transformed into a neutral vowel (ə)
6. gloomy, dark, clouded, or dim
vb (tr)
7. to make unclear, vague, or hidden
8. to cover or cloud over
9. (Phonetics & Phonology) phonetics to pronounce (a vowel) with articulation that causes it to become a neutral sound represented by (ə)
n
a rare word for obscurity
[C14: via Old French from Latin obscūrus dark]
obscuration n
obˈscurely adv
obˈscureness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ob•scure
(əbˈskyʊər)adj. -scur•er, -scur•est, adj.
1. (of meaning) not clear or plain; ambiguous, vague, or uncertain.
2. not clear to the understanding; hard to perceive: obscure motives.
3. (of language, style, a speaker, etc.) not expressing the meaning clearly or plainly.
4. not readily seen, heard, etc.; indistinct; faint.
5. inconspicuous or unnoticeable: the obscure beginnings of a movement.
6. of little or no prominence or distinction; unknown: an obscure artist.
7. far from public notice or activity; remote: an obscure little town.
8. lacking in light or illumination; dark; dim; murky.
9. enveloped in or concealed by darkness.
10. (of a vowel) having the reduced or neutral sound usu. represented by the schwa (ə).
v.t. 11. to conceal or confuse (meaning, intention, or the like); cover; mask.
12. to make dark, dim, indistinct, etc.
13. to reduce or neutralize (a vowel) to the sound usu. represented by a schwa (ə).
n. 14. obscurity.
[1400–50; late Middle English < Old French oscur, obscur < Latin obscūrus dark]
ob•scure′ly, adv.
ob•scure′ness, n.
syn: See mysterious.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
obscure
Past participle: obscured
Gerund: obscuring
| Imperative |
|---|
| obscure |
| obscure |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. |  obscure - make less visible or unclear; "The stars are obscured by the clouds"; "the big elm tree obscures our view of the valley"conceal, hide - prevent from being seen or discovered; "Muslim women hide their faces"; "hide the money" overshadow - cast a shadow upon; "The tall tree overshadowed the house" |
| 2. | obscure - make unclear, indistinct, or blurred; "Her remarks confused the debate"; "Their words obnubilate their intentions" alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" confuse, confound - mistake one thing for another; "you are confusing me with the other candidate"; "I mistook her for the secretary" muddy - cause to become muddy; "These data would have muddied the prediction" | |
| 3. | obscure - make obscure or unclear; "The distinction was obscured" | |
| 4. | obscure - reduce a vowel to a neutral one, such as a schwa linguistics - the scientific study of language reduce - destress and thus weaken a sound when pronouncing it | |
| 5. | obscure - make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing; "a hidden message"; "a veiled threat" alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" efface, obliterate - remove completely from recognition or memory; "efface the memory of the time in the camps" mystify - make mysterious; "mystify the story" | |
| Adj. | 1. | obscure - not clearly understood or expressed; "an obscure turn of phrase"; "an impulse to go off and fight certain obscure battles of his own spirit"-Anatole Broyard; "their descriptions of human behavior become vague, dull, and unclear"- P.A.Sorokin; "vague...forms of speech...have so long passed for mysteries of science"- John Locke unclear - not clear to the mind; "the law itself was unclear on that point"; "the reason for their actions is unclear to this day" |
| 2. | obscure - marked by difficulty of style or expression; "much that was dark is now quite clear to me"; "those who do not appreciate Kafka's work say his style is obscure" uncomprehensible, incomprehensible - difficult to understand; "the most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible"- A. Einstein | |
| 3. | obscure - difficult to find; "hidden valleys"; "a hidden cave"; "an obscure retreat" concealed - hidden on any grounds for any motive; "a concealed weapon"; "a concealed compartment in his briefcase" | |
| 4. |  obscure - not famous or acclaimed; "an obscure family"; "unsung heroes of the war"inglorious - not bringing honor and glory; "some mute inglorious Milton here may rest" | |
| 5. |  obscure - not drawing attention; "an unnoticeable cigarette burn on the carpet"; "an obscure flaw"inconspicuous, invisible - not prominent or readily noticeable; "he pushed the string through an inconspicuous hole"; "the invisible man" | |
| 6. |  obscure - remote and separate physically or socially; "existed over the centuries as a world apart"; "preserved because they inhabited a place apart"- W.H.Hudson; "tiny isolated villages remote from centers of civilization"; "an obscure village"unconnected - not joined or linked together |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
obscure
adjective
1. unknown, minor, little-known, humble, unfamiliar, out-of-the-way, unseen, lowly, unimportant, unheard-of, unsung, nameless, undistinguished, inconspicuous, unnoted, unhonoured, unrenowned The hymn was written by an obscure Greek composer.
unknown major, important, famous, significant, celebrated, familiar, distinguished, well-known, prominent, renowned, eminent, illustrious, widely-known
unknown major, important, famous, significant, celebrated, familiar, distinguished, well-known, prominent, renowned, eminent, illustrious, widely-known
2. abstruse, involved, complex, confusing, puzzling, subtle, mysterious, deep, vague, unclear, doubtful, mystical, intricate, ambiguous, enigmatic, esoteric, perplexing, occult, opaque, incomprehensible, arcane, cryptic, unfathomable, recondite, clear as mud (informal) The contract is written in obscure language.
abstruse clear, obvious, plain, simple, apparent, evident, distinct, straightforward, explicit, definite, manifest, transparent, unmistakable, lucid, intelligible
abstruse clear, obvious, plain, simple, apparent, evident, distinct, straightforward, explicit, definite, manifest, transparent, unmistakable, lucid, intelligible
3. unclear, hidden, uncertain, confused, mysterious, concealed, doubtful, indefinite, indeterminate The word is of obscure origin.
unclear well-known
unclear well-known
4. indistinct, vague, blurred, dark, clouded, faint, dim, gloomy, veiled, murky, fuzzy, shadowy, cloudy, misty, hazy, indistinguishable, indeterminate, dusky, undefined, out of focus, ill-defined, obfuscated, indiscernible, tenebrous The hills were just an obscure shape in the mist.
indistinct clear, sharp, distinct, well-defined
indistinct clear, sharp, distinct, well-defined
verb
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
obscure
adjective1. Deficient in brightness:
2. Not clearly perceived or perceptible:
blear, bleary, cloudy, dim, faint, foggy, fuzzy, hazy, indefinite, indistinct, misty, shadowy, unclear, undistinct, vague.
3. Far from centers of human population:
back, insular, isolated, lonely, lonesome, outlying, out-of-the-way, remote, removed, secluded, solitary.
Idiom: off the beaten path.
4. Not readily noticed or seen:
Idiom: having a low profile.
5. Not known or not widely known by name:
1. To make dim or indistinct:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
غَيْر مَشْهور، مَغْمورمُبْهَم، غامِضمُعْتِميَحْجُب
obskurskjuleuforståeligukendt
dimmur, óljóshylja, skyggja álítt òekkturtorráîinn
gožtimenkai žinomasnežinianežinomybėsunkiai įžiūrimas
aizēnotaizsegtaptumšotmazpazīstamsnesaprotams, miglains
málo známy
nejasenneznan
obscure
[əbˈskjʊəʳ]A. ADJ
1. (= not well-known) [book, artist, poet] → poco conocido, oscuro; [village] → recóndito, perdido
some obscure disease we had never heard of before → una enfermedad poco conocida de la que nunca habíamos oído hablar antes
Norris himself has remained relatively obscure → el mismo Norris sigue siendo hasta cierto punto un desconocido
some obscure disease we had never heard of before → una enfermedad poco conocida de la que nunca habíamos oído hablar antes
Norris himself has remained relatively obscure → el mismo Norris sigue siendo hasta cierto punto un desconocido
2. (= not obvious) [word, jargon, terminology] → de difícil comprensión; [origins] → oscuro, poco claro
the meaning is obscure → el significado es oscuro or poco claro
for some obscure reason → por alguna extraña razón
to make obscure references to sth → referirse de forma críptica a algo
the meaning is obscure → el significado es oscuro or poco claro
for some obscure reason → por alguna extraña razón
to make obscure references to sth → referirse de forma críptica a algo
3. (= indistinct) [shape, figure] → borroso
B. VT
1. (= hide) [+ object, face, truth] → ocultar
some clouds obscured the sun → algunas nubes ocultaron el sol
the house is obscured by trees → la casa está escondida detrás de unos árboles
my view was obscured by a lady in a large hat → una señora con un sombrero enorme no me dejaba ver
his article obscures the facts → su artículo oscurece los hechos
this news should not be allowed to obscure the fact that → no se debería permitir que esta noticia impida ver claramente que ..., no se debería permitir que esta noticia vele el hecho de que ...
some clouds obscured the sun → algunas nubes ocultaron el sol
the house is obscured by trees → la casa está escondida detrás de unos árboles
my view was obscured by a lady in a large hat → una señora con un sombrero enorme no me dejaba ver
his article obscures the facts → su artículo oscurece los hechos
this news should not be allowed to obscure the fact that → no se debería permitir que esta noticia impida ver claramente que ..., no se debería permitir que esta noticia vele el hecho de que ...
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
obscure
[əbˈskjʊər]Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
obscure
adj (+er)
(= hard to understand) → dunkel; style → unklar, undurchsichtig; argument → verworren; language, word, book, poet → schwer verständlich
(= indistinct) feeling, memory → dunkel, undeutlich, unklar; for some obscure reason → aus einem unerfindlichen Grund
(= unknown, little known) → obskur; poet, village → unbekannt; (= humble) beginnings → unbedeutend; life → wenig beachtenswert; of obscure birth → von unbekannter Herkunft; he holds some obscure post in the Civil Service → er hat so ein obskures Pöstchen im Staatsdienst
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
obscure
[əbˈskjʊəʳ]1. adj (-r (comp) (-st (superl))) (gen) → oscuro/a; (feeling, memory) → vago/a
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
obscure
(əbˈskjuə) adjective1. not clear; difficult to see. an obscure corner of the library.
2. not well-known. an obscure author.
3. difficult to understand. an obscure poem.
verb to make obscure. A large tree obscured the view.
obˈscurely adverbobˈscurity noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
obscure
a. oscuro-a; oculto-a, escondido-a.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012