Definitions for obscure
əbˈskyʊərob·scure

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. obscure, vagueadjective

   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

2. dark, obscureadjective

   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"

3. hidden, obscureadjective

   difficult to find

   "hidden valleys"; "a hidden cave"; "an obscure retreat"

4. obscure, unknown, unsungadjective

   not famous or acclaimed

   "an obscure family"; "unsung heroes of the war"

5. obscure, unnoticeableadjective

   not drawing attention

   "an unnoticeable cigarette burn on the carpet"; "an obscure flaw"

6. apart(p), isolated, obscureverb

   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"

7. obscure, befog, becloud, obnubilate, haze over, fog, cloud, mistverb

   make less visible or unclear

   "The stars are obscured by the clouds"; "the big elm tree obscures our view of the valley"

8. confuse, blur, obscure, obnubilateverb

   make unclear, indistinct, or blurred

   "Her remarks confused the debate"; "Their words obnubilate their intentions"

9. obscure, bedim, overcloudverb

   make obscure or unclear

   "The distinction was obscured"

10. obscureverb

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

11. obscure, blot out, obliterate, veil, hideverb

    make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing

    "a hidden message"; "a veiled threat"

WiktionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. obscureverb

   To darken, make faint etc.

2. obscureverb

   To hide, put out of sight etc.

3. obscureadjective

   Dark, faint or indistinct.

4. obscureadjective

   Hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous.

5. obscureadjective

   Difficult to understand.

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

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. OBSCUREadjective

   Etymology: obscur, Fr. obscurus, Latin.

   1. Dark; unenlightened; gloomy, hindring sight.

   Whoso curseth his father or mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness. Prov. xx. 20.

   Who shall tempt with wand’ring feet
   The dark unbottom’d infinite abyss,
   And thro’ the palpable obscure find out
   His uncouth way? John Milton, Paradise Lost.

   2. Living in the dark.

   The obscure bird clamour’d the live-long night. William Shakespeare.

   3. Not easily intelligible; abstruse; difficult.

   I explain some of the most obscure passages, and those which are most necessary to be understood, and this according to the manner wherein he used to express himself. Dryd.

   4. Not noted; not observable.

   He says, that he is an obscure person; one, I suppose, that is in the dark. Francis Atterbury.

2. To Obscureverb

   Etymology: obscuro, Latin.

   1. To darken; to make dark.

   Sudden the thunder blackens all the skies,
   And the winds whistle, and the surges roll
   Mountains on mountains, and obscure the pole. Alexander Pope.

   2. To make less visible.

   They are all couched in a pit hard by Herne’s oak, with obscured lights; which at the very instant of Falstaff’s and our meeting, they will at once display to the night. William Shakespeare.

   What must I hold a candle to my shames?
   They in themselves, good sooth, are too, too light.
   Why, ’tis an office of discovery, love,
   And I should be obscur’d. William Shakespeare, M. of Venice.

   Thinking by this retirement to obscure himself from God, he infringed the omnisciency and essential ubiquity of his maker. Thomas Browne, Vulgar Errours.

   3. To make less intelligible.

   By private consent it hath been used in dangerous times to obscure writing, and make it hard to be read by others not acquainted with the intrigue. William Holder.

   There is scarce any duty which has been so obscured by the writings of learned men, as this. William Wake.

   4. To make less glorious, beautiful, or illustrious.

   Think’st thou, vain spirit, thy glories are the same,
   And seest not sin obscures thy godlike frame?
   I know thee now by thy ungrateful pride,
   That shows me what thy faded looks did hide. Dryden.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Obscure

   covered over, shaded, or darkened; destitute of light; imperfectly illuminated; dusky; dim

2. Obscure

   of or pertaining to darkness or night; inconspicuous to the sight; indistinctly seen; hidden; retired; remote from observation; unnoticed

3. Obscure

   not noticeable; humble; mean

4. Obscure

   not easily understood; not clear or legible; abstruse or blind; as, an obscure passage or inscription

5. Obscure

   not clear, full, or distinct; clouded; imperfect; as, an obscure view of remote objects

6. Obscureadjective

   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

7. Obscureverb

   to conceal one's self; to hide; to keep dark

8. Obscurenoun

   obscurity

9. Etymology: [L. obscurare, fr. obscurus: cf. OF. obscurer. See Obscure, a.]

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. ObsCure

   ObsCure is a survival horror video game developed by Hydravision Entertainment and published by DreamCatcher Interactive in North America, Ubisoft in China and MC2-Microïds in other territories for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It was released on October 1, 2004 in Europe and North America on April 6, 2005.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Obscure

   ob-skūr′, adj. dark: not distinct: not easily understood: not clear, legible, or perspicuous: unknown: humble: unknown to fame: living in darkness.—v.t. to darken: to make less plain: to render doubtful.—ns. Obscū′rant, one who labours to prevent enlightenment or reform; Obscū′rantism, opposition to inquiry or reform; Obscū′rantist, an obscurant.—adj. pertaining to obscurantism.—n. Obscūrā′tion, the act of obscuring or state of being obscured.—adv. Obscūre′ly.—ns. Obscūre′ment; Obscūre′ness; Obscū′rer; Obscū′rity, state or quality of being obscure: darkness: an obscure place or condition: unintelligibleness: humility. [Fr.,—L. obscurus.]

The New Hacker's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. 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.

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. obscure

   Song lyrics by obscure -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by obscure on the Lyrics.com website.

EntomologyRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Obscure

   not readily seen: not well defined.

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British National Corpus

1. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'obscure' in Verbs Frequency: #1082

Anagrams for obscure »

1. buceros

2. bescour

How to pronounce obscure?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say obscure in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of obscure in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of obscure in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of obscure in a Sentence

1. Harold Rosenberg:

   One of the grotesqueries of present-day American life is the amount of reasoning that goes into displaying the wisdom secreted in bad movies while proving that modern art is meaningless. They have put into practice the notion that a bad art work cleverly interpreted according to some obscure Method is more rewarding than a masterpiece wrapped in silence.

2. Henry Miller:

   The great work must inevitably be obscure, except to the very few, to those who like the author himself are initiated into the mysteries. Communication then is secondary: it is perpetuation which is important. For this only one good reader is necessary.

3. Charlotte Brontë:

   You -- poor and obscure, and small and plain as you are -- I entreat to accept me as a husband.

4. Leland Exton Modesitt, Jr.:

   Rule three hundred of obscure leadership if it's your idea, you get to implement it.

5. Manchester United:

   While the past few weeks have been disappointing, they should not obscure all the work he has done over the past three years to rebuild the foundations for long-term success, ole leaves with our sincerest thanks for his tireless efforts as manager and our very best wishes for the future.

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