OBSCURE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does obscure mean? 

• OBSCURE (adjective)
  The adjective OBSCURE has 6 senses:

1. not clearly expressed or understood

2. marked by difficulty of style or expression

3. difficult to find

4. not famous or acclaimed

5. not drawing attention

6. remote and separate physically or socially

  Familiarity information: OBSCURE used as an adjective is common.

• OBSCURE (verb)
  The verb OBSCURE has 5 senses:

1. make less visible or unclear

2. make unclear, indistinct, or blurred

3. make obscure or unclear

4. reduce a vowel to a neutral one, such as a schwa

5. make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing

  Familiarity information: OBSCURE used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• OBSCURE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Not clearly expressed or understood

Synonyms:

obscure; vague

Context example:

vague...forms of speech...have so long passed for mysteries of science

Similar:

unclear (not clear to the mind)

Derivation:

obscureness; obscurity (the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Marked by difficulty of style or expression

Synonyms:

dark; obscure

Context example:

those who do not appreciate Kafka's work say his style is obscure

Similar:

incomprehensible; uncomprehensible (difficult to understand)

Derivation:

obscureness; obscurity (the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Difficult to find

Synonyms:

hidden; obscure

Context example:

an obscure retreat

Similar:

concealed (hidden on any grounds for any motive)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Not famous or acclaimed

Synonyms:

obscure; unknown; unsung

Context example:

unsung heroes of the war

Similar:

inglorious (not bringing honor and glory)

Derivation:

obscureness (the state of being humble and unimportant)

obscurity (an obscure and unimportant standing; not well known)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Not drawing attention

Synonyms:

obscure; unnoticeable

Context example:

an obscure flaw

Similar:

inconspicuous; invisible (not prominent or readily noticeable)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Remote and separate physically or socially

Synonyms:

apart; isolated; obscure

Context example:

an obscure village

Similar:

unconnected (not joined or linked together)

• OBSCURE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they obscure    ... he / she / it obscures   
Past simple: obscured   
Past participle: obscured   
-ing form: obscuring   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make less visible or unclear

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

becloud; befog; cloud; fog; haze over; mist; obnubilate; obscure

Context example:

the big elm tree obscures our view of the valley

Hypernyms (to "obscure" is one way to...):

conceal; hide (prevent from being seen or discovered)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "obscure"):

overshadow (cast a shadow upon)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Make unclear, indistinct, or blurred

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

blur; confuse; obnubilate; obscure

Context example:

Their words obnubilate their intentions

Hypernyms (to "obscure" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Verb group:

confound; confuse (mistake one thing for another)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "obscure"):

muddy (cause to become muddy)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Make obscure or unclear

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

bedim; obscure; overcloud

Context example:

The distinction was obscured

Hypernyms (to "obscure" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

Reduce a vowel to a neutral one, such as a schwa

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "obscure" is one way to...):

reduce (destress and thus weaken a sound when pronouncing it)

Domain category:

linguistics (the scientific study of language)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 5

Meaning:

Make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

blot out; hide; obliterate; obscure; veil

Context example:

a veiled threat

Hypernyms (to "obscure" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Verb group:

efface; obliterate (remove completely from recognition or memory)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "obscure"):

mystify (make mysterious)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

 Context examples 

I don’t think that among all our cases I have known one where the motives are more obscure.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Perhaps our visit now may do something to make it less obscure.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The fog, though it remained, had lifted high, where it obscured the stars and made the night quite black.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Let it be somewhere beyond reach; in some obscure life—or, better still, in some obscure death.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

There was no time to think of what might happen; a vague, overmastering fear obscured all details.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

I had been calm during the day, but so soon as night obscured the shapes of objects, a thousand fears arose in my mind.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

In the midst of all this the lamp still cast a smoky glow, obscure and brown as umber.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

But the cause remains as obscure as before.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It is characterized by retrograde P waves which may be obscured by or may follow the QRS complexes.

(Junctional Rhythm by ECG Finding, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

The surfaces — known as photospheres — of many giant stars are obscured by dust, which hinders observations.

(Giant Bubbles on Red Giant Star’s Surface, ESO)