What is another word for obscure?
Synonyms for obscure
əbˈskyʊərob·scure
This thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word obscure.
Wiktionary
obscureadjective
Synonyms:
mysterious, enigmatic, esotericAntonyms:
clearobscureadjective
Dark, faint or indistinct.
Synonyms:
mysterious, enigmatic, esotericAntonyms:
clearobscureadjective
Hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous.
Synonyms:
mysterious, enigmatic, esotericAntonyms:
clearobscureadjective
Difficult to understand.
Synonyms:
esoteric, enigmatic, mysteriousAntonyms:
clear
English Synonyms and Antonyms
obscure
That is obscure which the eye or the mind can not clearly discern or see through, whether because of its own want of transparency, its depth or intricacy, or because of mere defect of light. That which is complicated is likely to be obscure, but that may be obscure which is not at all complicated and scarcely complex, as a muddy pool. In that which is abstruse (Latin abs, from, and trudo, push) as if removed from the usual course of thought or out of the way of apprehension or discovery, the thought is remote, hidden; in that which is obscure there may be nothing to hide; it is hard to see to the bottom of the profound, because of its depth, but the most shallow turbidness is obscure. Compare COMPLEX; DARK; DIFFICULT; MYSTERIOUS.
See synonyms for CLEAR.
Synonyms:
abstruse, ambiguous, cloudy, complex, complicated, dark, darksome, deep, dense, difficult, dim, doubtful, dusky, enigmatical, hidden, incomprehensible, indistinct, intricate, involved, muddy, mysterious, profound, turbid, unintelligible
Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms
obscureadjective
Synonyms:
dark, dim, lowering, indistinct, enigmatical, uncertain, doubtful, unascertained, humble, unintelligible, meanAntonyms:
bright, luminous, distinct, lucid, plain, plain spoken, intelligible, unambiguous, ascertained, eminent, prominentobscureverb
Antonyms:
reveal, make known, discover
Princeton's WordNet
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
Synonyms:
unnoticeable, dark, hidden, faint, shadowy, unknown, apart(p), vague, dim, isolated, undefined, wispy, unsungAntonyms:
glorious, unconcealed, comprehendible, conspicuous, comprehensible, clear, connecteddark, 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"
Synonyms:
vague, sullen, unnoticeable, glum, dismal, dark, moody, apart(p), coloured, disconsolate, dark-skinned, black, gloomy, benighted, non-white, blue, glowering, sour, unknown, sinister, grim, dour, hidden, saturnine, sorry, drab, dingy, isolated, dreary, drear, unsung, moroseAntonyms:
clear, comprehendible, comprehensible, connected, unconcealed, glorious, conspicuoushidden, obscureadjective
difficult to find
"hidden valleys"; "a hidden cave"; "an obscure retreat"
Synonyms:
unnoticeable, dark, hidden, apart(p), out of sight, unknown, concealed, vague, isolated, secret, unsungAntonyms:
conspicuous, glorious, comprehensible, connected, clear, comprehendible, unconcealedobscure, unknown, unsungadjective
not famous or acclaimed
"an obscure family"; "unsung heroes of the war"
Synonyms:
unnoticeable, dark, hidden, unnamed, unvalued, strange, unknown, unidentified, apart(p), vague, isolated, unappreciated, nameless, unsungAntonyms:
glorious, connected, conspicuous, comprehendible, clear, comprehensible, unconcealedobscure, unnoticeableadjective
not drawing attention
"an unnoticeable cigarette burn on the carpet"; "an obscure flaw"
Synonyms:
unnoticeable, dark, hidden, unknown, apart(p), vague, unobtrusive, isolated, unsungAntonyms:
comprehendible, unconcealed, comprehensible, conspicuous, clear, glorious, connectedapart(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"
Antonyms:
conspicuous, unconcealed, comprehendible, comprehensible, connected, clear, gloriousobscure, 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"
Synonyms:
veil, mist, dapple, confuse, blot out, corrupt, overcloud, defile, becloud, fog, blur, haze over, befog, mottle, obnubilate, mist over, obliterate, overcast, taint, bedim, hide, sully, cloudAntonyms:
glorious, clear, comprehensible, unconcealed, conspicuous, connected, comprehendibleconfuse, blur, obscure, obnubilateverb
make unclear, indistinct, or blurred
"Her remarks confused the debate"; "Their words obnubilate their intentions"
Synonyms:
fuddle, film over, slur, confound, befuddle, fog, fox, confuse, becloud, jumble, cloud, smutch, mix up, glaze over, flurry, bedim, blot out, dim, mist, blur, throw, obliterate, haze over, overcloud, smear, hide, put off, smudge, befog, veil, disconcert, discombobulate, blear, bedevil, obnubilateAntonyms:
connected, conspicuous, comprehendible, unconcealed, comprehensible, glorious, clearobscure, bedim, overcloudverb
make obscure or unclear
"The distinction was obscured"
Synonyms:
veil, mist, benight, confuse, blot out, overcloud, becloud, fog, cloud over, blur, haze over, befog, obnubilate, obliterate, bedim, hide, cloud, cloud upAntonyms:
conspicuous, unconcealed, comprehensible, glorious, connected, clear, comprehendibleobscureverb
reduce a vowel to a neutral one, such as a schwa
Synonyms:
veil, overcloud, haze over, blur, cloud, befog, hide, fog, obliterate, bedim, becloud, obnubilate, mist, confuse, blot outAntonyms:
conspicuous, connected, comprehendible, glorious, unconcealed, clear, comprehensibleobscure, blot out, obliterate, veil, hideverb
make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing
"a hidden message"; "a veiled threat"
Synonyms:
shroud, veil, mist, wipe out, confuse, blot out, enshroud, overcloud, kill, becloud, fog, blur, conceal, haze over, befog, obnubilate, cover, obliterate, hide out, efface, bedim, hide, cloudAntonyms:
clear, conspicuous, unconcealed, connected, comprehensible, comprehendible, glorious
Matched Categories
Dictionary of English Synonymes
obscureadjective
Synonyms:
dark, gloomy, rayless, darksome, unilluminated, unenlightened, dusky, sombre, sombrous, lurid, shadowy, murky, dimobscureadjective
Synonyms:
unintelligible, incomprehensible, indistinct, indefinite, vague, doubtful, enigmatical, mysterious, mystic, mystical, recondite, abstruse, cabalistic, transcendental, highobscureadjective
Synonyms:
unknown, undistinguished, nameless, unnoted, unnoticed, renownless, unhonored, humble, ingloriousobscureverb
Synonyms:
darken, cloud, eclipse, dim, shade, obfuscate, cast in the shade
Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words
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obscure
Song lyrics by obscure -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by obscure on the Lyrics.com website.
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How to use obscure in a sentence?
Perhaps better we not obscure the idea that happiness and misery, kindness and greed, and good works and bad deeds are within the capacities of us all, not merely a select few.
I strive to be brief, and become obscure.
We say that the hour of death cannot be forecast, but when we say this we imagine that hour as placed in an obscure and distant future. It never occurs to us that it has any connection with the day already begun or that death could arrive this same afternoon, this afternoon which is so certain and which has every hour filled in advance.
This is a dramatic expansion of the government’s hacking and surveillance authority, such a substantive change with an enormous impact on Americans’ constitutional rights should be debated by Congress, not maneuvered through an obscure bureaucratic process.
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.
Translations for obscure
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- غام, مظلمArabic
- nezřetelný, temnýCzech
- obskur, verdunkeln, verdecken, undeutlich, verschleiern, unbedeutend, düster, vernebelnGerman
- obscuro, ocultar, esconderSpanish
- مبهمPersian
- hämärtää, huomaamaton, vaikeaselkoinen, piilottaa, hämärä, piiloutunutFinnish
- obscur, sibyllin, obscurcirFrench
- kétes hírű, tompaHungarian
- oscurato, confuso, vago, nascosto, indistinto, poco chiaro, oscuroItalian
- 朦朧, 不明瞭Japanese
- 애매한Korean
- caecōLatin
- whakarehurehu, rehurehuMāori
- нејасен, мрачен, замагленMacedonian
- duister, verborgenDutch
- obskurNorwegian
- [[mało]] [[znany]], schować, ukryć, zaciemnić, ciemny, niewyraźny, ukryty, przesłonićPolish
- obscuroPortuguese
- întuneca, obscur, retras, ascuns, oculta, ascunde, obscura, întunecosRomanian
- прятать, безвестный, скрывать, непонятный, неясный, смутный, скрытый, тёмный, затемнятьRussian
- mörkSwedish
- தெளிவற்றTamil
- незрозумілийUkrainian
- che khuấtVietnamese
- 朦胧Chinese
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