ob·scure
äb-ˈskyu̇r 
əb-
1
2
: not readily understood or clearly expressed
3
4
: constituting the unstressed vowel \ə\ or having unstressed \ə\ as its value
obscurely
adverb
obscureness
noun
obscured; obscuring
1
: to make dark, dim, or indistinct
The soot on the lampshade obscured the light.
2
: to conceal or hide by or as if by covering
… snow on glaciers can obscure deep crevasses.—
Tom Simon
Tom Simon3
: to reduce (a vowel) to the value \ə\
Synonyms
Examples of obscure in a Sentence
Adjective
Many people shared an obscure sense of gratification that [Dylan] Thomas had died young, as a poet should.
—Adam Kirsch, New Yorker, 5 July 2004
But by 1830 the Boston Mission Board was desperate enough that it targeted an obscure sect of Oriental Christians, the Nestorians in faraway Iran, as a possibility for conversion.
—Robert D. Kaplan, The Arabists, 1993
I knew they were special from their jeans and T-shirts, their knowing, ironic looks when obscure works of literature were referred to.
—Julia Alvarez, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, 1991
Now at last Bacon could refer when he chose to his father's high position and his father's service—and no man could say it was done for self-aggrandizement, as a son who is obscure bespeaks the glory of past forebears.
—Catherine Drinker Bowen, Francis Bacon, 1963
The movie is full of obscure references that only pop culture enthusiasts will understand.
The origins of the language are obscure.
Verb
Throughout this book, the ground of fact becomes obscured entirely by a deep layer of speculative quicksand.
—Helen Vendler, New Republic, 10 June 2002
But evening comes or even noon and some combination of nervous tensions obscures my memories of what whiskey costs me in the way of physical and intellectual well-being.
—John Cheever, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 1990
… [Mr. Schuller's] … "Early Jazz" brought a sometimes Olympian precision to writing about an art that has often languished in the whale's belly of sociology, obscured by pretension and blubbery thinking.
—Stanley Crouch, New York Times Book Review, 2 Apr. 1989
It was eight o'clock when we landed; we walked for a short time on the shore enjoying the transitory light, and then retired to the inn and contemplated the lovely scene of waters, woods, and mountains, obscured in darkness, yet still displaying their black outlines.
—Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein, 1818
The true history has been obscured by legends about what happened.
They accused the company of trying to obscure the fact that the product poses a health risk.
Noun
… who shall … through the palpable obscure find out his uncouth way … ?
—John Milton, Paradise Lost, 1667
Adam Kirsch, New Yorker, 5 July 2004
But by 1830 the Boston Mission Board was desperate enough that it targeted an obscure sect of Oriental Christians, the Nestorians in faraway Iran, as a possibility for conversion.
—Robert D. Kaplan, The Arabists, 1993
I knew they were special from their jeans and T-shirts, their knowing, ironic looks when obscure works of literature were referred to.
—Julia Alvarez, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, 1991
Now at last Bacon could refer when he chose to his father's high position and his father's service—and no man could say it was done for self-aggrandizement, as a son who is obscure bespeaks the glory of past forebears.
—Catherine Drinker Bowen, Francis Bacon, 1963
The movie is full of obscure references that only pop culture enthusiasts will understand.
The origins of the language are obscure.
Verb
Throughout this book, the ground of fact becomes obscured entirely by a deep layer of speculative quicksand.
—Helen Vendler, New Republic, 10 June 2002
But evening comes or even noon and some combination of nervous tensions obscures my memories of what whiskey costs me in the way of physical and intellectual well-being.
—John Cheever, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 1990
… [Mr. Schuller's] … "Early Jazz" brought a sometimes Olympian precision to writing about an art that has often languished in the whale's belly of sociology, obscured by pretension and blubbery thinking.
—Stanley Crouch, New York Times Book Review, 2 Apr. 1989
It was eight o'clock when we landed; we walked for a short time on the shore enjoying the transitory light, and then retired to the inn and contemplated the lovely scene of waters, woods, and mountains, obscured in darkness, yet still displaying their black outlines.
—Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein, 1818
The true history has been obscured by legends about what happened.
They accused the company of trying to obscure the fact that the product poses a health risk.
Noun
… who shall … through the palpable obscure find out his uncouth way … ?
—John Milton, Paradise Lost, 1667
Recent Examples on the Web
Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024
At times, the actors spoke their lines from obscure corners of the cavernous playing area.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 3 Nov. 2024
The crowd trickled back to their cars, deep time obscured by darkness.
—Lane Sainty, The Arizona Republic, 3 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for obscure 
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
The pair will likely stay in that obscure piece of real estate for the next 24 to 48 hours.
—Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024
At times, the actors spoke their lines from obscure corners of the cavernous playing area.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
But this focus on labor obscures the fact that slavery also represented enormous wealth that was extraordinarily liquid: an enslaved person represented cash that could be forced to work, forced to breed, forced to relocate.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 3 Nov. 2024
The crowd trickled back to their cars, deep time obscured by darkness.
—Lane Sainty, The Arizona Republic, 3 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for obscure
Articles Related to obscure
Dictionary Entries Near obscure
Cite this Entry
“Obscure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obscure. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
obscure
1 of 2 adjective
ob·scure
äb-ˈskyu̇(ə)r
əb-
2
: not easily understood or not clearly expressed
an obscure passage
3
a
: hidden from view : remote
an obscure village
b
: not widely known
an obscure poet
obscurely
adverb
obscure
2 of 2 verb
obscured; obscuring
: to make obscure
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