obscure

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   Dark, faint or indistinct.

   • I found myself in an obscure wood.
   • His lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.
2. 2

   Hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous.

   • The obscure bird / Clamoured the livelong night.
   • the obscure corners of the earth
3. 3

   Difficult to understand

   Difficult to understand; abstruse.

   • an obscure passage or inscription; The speaker made obscure references to little-known literary works.
   • The lock was of a kind that Watt could not pick. Watt could pick simple locks, but he could not pick obscure locks.
4. ›+ 5 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      Not well-known.

      • Of all the medical monsters Peter Hotez could have set out to slay, the Yale University researcher could not have chosen a more wily and obscure villain than the hookworm.
      • i need to be REALLY careful to not use any obscure words. otherwise my tweets might end up on a wiktionary page
   2. 5

      Unknown or uncertain

      Unknown or uncertain; unclear.

      • The etymological roots of the word "blizzard" are obscure and open to debate.
   3. 6

      To render obscure

      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.

      • They are all couched in a pit hard by Herne's oak, with obscured lights.
      • c. 1688', William Wake, Preparation for Death There is scarce any duty which has been so obscured in the writings of learned men as this.
   4. 7

      To hide, put out of sight etc.

      • It has been little altered over the years save for the addition of a platform awning which rather obscures the arcaded entrance to the booking hall.
   5. 8

      To conceal oneself

      To conceal oneself; to hide.

      • How! There's bad news. / I must obscure, and hear it.

The neighborhood

• neighborclare-obscure
• neighborclear-obscure
• neighborobscuration
• neighborobscurity