Definitions for obscureəbˈskyʊər

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

ob•scure^*əbˈskyʊər(adj.)-scur•er, -scur•est

(adj.)(of meaning) not clear or plain; ambiguous, vague, or uncertain.
not clear to the understanding; hard to perceive:
obscure motives.
(of language, style, a speaker, etc.) not expressing the meaning clearly or plainly.
not readily seen, heard, etc.; indistinct; faint.
Category: Common Vocabulary
inconspicuous or unnoticeable:
the obscure beginnings of a movement.
of little or no prominence or distinction; unknown:
an obscure artist.
far from public notice or activity; remote:
an obscure little town.
lacking in light or illumination; dark; dim; murky.
enveloped in or concealed by darkness.
(of a vowel) having the reduced or neutral sound usu. represented by the schwa (ə).
Category: Phonetics
(v.t.)to conceal or confuse (meaning, intention, or the like); cover; mask.
Category: Common Vocabulary
to make dark, dim, indistinct, etc.
to reduce or neutralize (a vowel) to the sound usu. represented by a schwa (ə).
Category: Phonetics
Ref: obscurity.

^* Syn: See mysterious.

Origin of obscure:

1400–50; late ME < OF oscur, obscur < L obscūrus dark

ob•scure′ness(n.)

Princeton's WordNet

obscure, vague(adj)
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
dark, obscure(adj)
marked by difficulty of style or expression
"much that was dark is now quite clear to me"; "those who do not appreciate Kafka's work say his style is obscure"
hidden, obscure(adj)
difficult to find
"hidden valleys"; "a hidden cave"; "an obscure retreat"
obscure, unknown, unsung(adj)
not famous or acclaimed
"an obscure family"; "unsung heroes of the war"
obscure, unnoticeable(adj)
not drawing attention
"an unnoticeable cigarette burn on the carpet"; "an obscure flaw"
apart(p), isolated, obscure(verb)
remote and separate physically or socially
"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"
obscure, befog, becloud, obnubilate, haze over, fog, cloud, mist(verb)
make less visible or unclear
"The stars are obscured by the clouds"; "the big elm tree obscures our view of the valley"
confuse, blur, obscure, obnubilate(verb)
make unclear, indistinct, or blurred
"Her remarks confused the debate"; "Their words obnubilate their intentions"
obscure, bedim, overcloud(verb)
make obscure or unclear
"The distinction was obscured"
obscure(verb)
reduce a vowel to a neutral one, such as a schwa
obscure, blot out, obliterate, veil, hide(verb)
make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing
"a hidden message"; "a veiled threat"

Kernerman English Learner's Dictionary

obscure(adjective)əbˈskyʊər
almost completely unknown
an obscure 19th century poet
obscureəbˈskyʊər
very difficult to understand
an obscure piece of writing
obscure(verb)əbˈskyʊər
to make difficult to see
A pillar obscured his view of the stage.

Wiktionary

obscure(Verb)
To darken, make faint etc.
obscure(Verb)
To hide, put out of sight etc.
obscure(Adjective)
Dark, faint or indistinct.
obscure(Adjective)
Hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous.
obscure(Adjective)
Difficult to understand.

Origin: From obscur, from obscurus, possibly, from ob + , from root scu, seen also in scutum; see scutum, sky.

Webster Dictionary

Obscure(u)
covered over, shaded, or darkened; destitute of light; imperfectly illuminated; dusky; dim
Obscure(u)
of or pertaining to darkness or night; inconspicuous to the sight; indistinctly seen; hidden; retired; remote from observation; unnoticed
Obscure(u)
not noticeable; humble; mean
Obscure(u)
not easily understood; not clear or legible; abstruse or blind; as, an obscure passage or inscription
Obscure(u)
not clear, full, or distinct; clouded; imperfect; as, an obscure view of remote objects
Obscure(adj)
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
Obscure(verb)
to conceal one's self; to hide; to keep dark
Obscure(noun)
obscurity

The New Hacker's Dictionary

obscure
Used in an exaggeration of its normal meaning, to imply total incomprehensibility. “The reason for that last crash is obscure.” “The find(1) command's syntax is obscure!” The phrase moderately obscure implies that something could be figured out but probably isn't worth the trouble. The construction obscure in the extreme is the preferred emphatic form.