Definitions for: Obscure


[adj] not clearly understood or expressed; "an indeterminate 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
[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"
[adj] 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"
[adj] not drawing attention; "an unnoticeable cigarette burn on the carpet"; "an obscure flaw"
[adj] not famous or acclaimed; "an obscure family"; "unsung heroes of the war"
[adj] difficult to find; "hidden valleys"; "a hidden cave"; "an obscure retreat"
[v] make unclear, indistinct, or blurred; "Her remarks confused the debate"
[v] make obscure or unclear; "The distinction was obscured"
[v] make difficult to perceive by sight; "The foliage of the huge tree obscures the view of the lake"
[v] make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing
[v] make less visible or unclear; "The stars are obscured by the clouds"



Webster (1913) Definition: Ob*scure", a. [Compar. Obscurer; superl.
Obscurest.] [L. obscurus, orig., covered; ob- (see Ob-) +
a root probably meaning, to cover; cf. L. scutum shield, Skr.
sku to cover: cf.F. obscur. Cf.Sky.]
1. Covered over, shaded, or darkened; destitute of light;
imperfectly illuminated; dusky; dim.

His lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.
--Prov. xx.
20.

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

The obscure bird Clamored the livelong night.
--Shak.

The obscure corners of the earth. --Sir J.
Davies.

3. Not noticeable; humble; mean. ``O base and obscure
vulgar.'' --Shak. ``An obscure person.'' --Atterbury.

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

5. Not clear, full, or distinct; clouded; imperfect; as, an
obscure view of remote objects.

Obscure rays (Opt.), those rays which are not luminous or
visible, and which in the spectrum are beyond the limits
of the visible portion.

Syn: Dark; dim; darksome; dusky; shadowy; misty; abstruse;
intricate; difficult; mysterious; retired; unnoticed;
unknown; humble; mean; indistinct.


Ob*scure", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Obscured; p. pr. &
vb. n. Obscuring.] [L. obscurare, fr. obscurus: cf. OF.
obscurer. See Obscure, a.]
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. --Shak.

Why, 't is an office of discovery, love, And I should
be obscured. --Shak.

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

And seest not sin obscures thy godlike frame? --Dryden.


Ob*scure", v. i.
To conceal one's self; to hide; to keep dark. [Obs.]

How! There's bad news. I must obscure, and hear it.
--Beau. & Fl.


Ob*scure", n.
Obscurity. [Obs.] --Milton.

Synonyms: apart(p), becloud, bedim, befog, benight, blot out, blur, cloud, concealed, confuse, dark, dishonorable, fog, haze over, hidden, hide, incomprehensible, inconspicuous, indeterminate, inglorious, invisible, isolated, mist, obliterate, overcloud, unclear, uncomprehensible, unconnected, unknown, unnoticeable, unsung, vague

See Also: alter, alter, change, change, conceal, darken, eclipse, hide, muddy, mystify, overshadow, shade, shade off, shadow

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