I. äb-ˈskyu̇r, əb- adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French oscur, obscur, from Latin obscurus
Date: 15th century
1.
a. : dark , dim
b. : shrouded in or hidden by darkness
c. : not clearly seen or easily distinguished : faint
obscure markings
2. : not readily understood or clearly expressed ; also : mysterious
3. : relatively unknown: as
a. : remote , secluded
an obscure village
b. : not prominent or famous
an obscure poet
4. : constituting the unstressed vowel ə or having unstressed ə as its value
• ob·scure·ly adverb
• ob·scure·ness noun
Synonyms:
obscure , dark , vague , enigmatic , cryptic , ambiguous , equivocal mean not clearly understandable. obscure implies a hiding or veiling of meaning through some inadequacy of expression or withholding of full knowledge
obscure poems
dark implies an imperfect or clouded revelation often with ominous or sinister suggestion
muttered dark hints of revenge
vague implies a lack of clear formulation due to inadequate conception or consideration
a vague sense of obligation
enigmatic stresses a puzzling, mystifying quality
enigmatic occult writings
cryptic implies a purposely concealed meaning
cryptic hints of hidden treasure
ambiguous applies to language capable of more than one interpretation
an ambiguous directive
equivocal applies to language left open to differing interpretations with the intention of deceiving or evading
moral precepts with equivocal phrasing
II. transitive verb
( ob·scured ; ob·scur·ing )
Date: 15th century
1. : to make dark, dim, or indistinct
2. : to conceal or hide by or as if by covering
3. : to reduce (a vowel) to the value ə
• ob·scu·ra·tion ˌäb-skyu̇-ˈrā-shən noun
III. noun
Date: 1667
: obscurity