verb
- Make less visible or unclear.
- usage: "The stars are obscured by the clouds"; "the big elm tree obscures our view of the valley"
- Make unclear, indistinct, or blurred.
- usage: "Her remarks confused the debate"; "Their words obnubilate their intentions"
- synonyms: confuse, blur, obnubilate
- Make obscure or unclear.
- usage: "The distinction was obscured"
- Reduce a vowel to a neutral one, such as a schwa.
- Make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing.
- usage: "a hidden message"; "a veiled threat"
- synonyms: blot out, obliterate, veil, hide
adjective
- 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
- synonyms: vague
- Marked by difficulty of style or expression.
- usage: "much that was dark is now quite clear to me"; "those who do not appreciate Kafka's work say his style is obscure"
- synonyms: dark
- Difficult to find.
- usage: "hidden valleys"; "a hidden cave"; "an obscure retreat"
- synonyms: hidden
- Not famous or acclaimed.
- usage: "an obscure family"; "unsung heroes of the war"
- Not drawing attention.
- usage: "an unnoticeable cigarette burn on the carpet"; "an obscure flaw"
- synonyms: unnoticeable
- Remote and separate physically or socially.
- usage: "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"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). obscure. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/obscure/definitions/1179628 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "obscure" http://smartdefine.org/obscure/definitions/1179628 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, obscure, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/obscure/definitions/1179628>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "obscure" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/obscure/definitions/1179628> |