Obscure

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /É™bˈskjÊŠÉ™(ɹ)/, /É™bˈskjɔː(ɹ)/
• US IPA: /É™bˈskjÊŠÉš/

Origin

From French obscur, from Latin obscūrus ("dark, dusky, indistinct"), possibly, from ob ("over") + -scurus ("covered"), from root scu ("cover"), seen also in scutum ("a shield"); see scutum, sky.

Full definition of obscure

Adjective

1. Dark, faint or indistinct.
• Dante Alighieri, Inferno, 1, 1-2I found myself in an obscure wood.
• Bible, Proverbs xx. 20His lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.
2. Hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous.
• William ShakespeareThe obscure bird
  Clamoured the livelong night.
• Sir J. Daviesthe obscure corners of the earth
3. Difficult to understand.
• 2013-08-03, The machine of a new soul, The yawning gap in neuroscientists’ understanding of their topic is in the intermediate scale of the brain’s anatomy. Science has a passable knowledge of how individual nerve cells, known as neurons, work. It also knows which visible lobes and ganglia of the brain do what. But how the neurons are organised in these lobes and ganglia remains obscure.
4. an obscure passage or inscription;    The speaker made obscure references to little-known literary works.

Usage notes

The comparative obscurer and superlative obscurest, though formed by valid rules for English, are less common than more obscure and most obscure.

Synonyms

• enigmatic
• mysterious
• esoteric

Antonyms

• clear

Related terms

• obscurity
• obscuration

Verb

1. (transitive) 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.
• ShakespeareThey are all couched in a pit hard by Herne's oak, with obscured lights.
• WakeThere is scarce any duty which has been so obscured by the writings of learned men as this.
2. (transitive) To hide, put out of sight etc.
• "I realized that the purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure poor reasoning, and inhibit clarity." Bill Watterson, Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat page 62
3. (intransitive, obsolete) To conceal oneself; to hide.
• Beaumont and FletcherHow! There's bad news.
  I must obscure, and hear it.