You searched for: “obscure
obscure (verb), obscures; obscured; obscuring
1. To conceal by confusing the meaning of a statement, a poem, etc.: Timmy, the suspect, tried to obscure the case that was brought against him by the police.
2. To make dark, dim, or indistinct: The sun was obscured by the storm clouds.
3. To make less visible, to hide; prevent from being seen or heard: Since those two new skyscrapers were built, they have obscured the view that the Jone's family once had from their apartment.
4. To intentionally make something difficult to understand or to know: Mr. Jackson, the car manufacturer, was accused of trying to obscure the fact that his company's air bags were not functioning properly because they were exploding and causing numerous deaths.
5. Etymology: from Latin obscurus, "dark, unknown"; literally, "covered over" from the base scurus, "covered over".
This entry is located in the following units: ob-3 + (page 1) obscur- (page 1)
obscure (adjective); obscurer, more obscure; obscurest, most obscure
1. A reference to a meaning which is not clear or plain; ambiguous, vague, or uncertain: There was an obscure sentence in the contract, which made it very problematic, and it had to be written again.
2. Not coherent to the understanding; hard to perceive: Mary obviously had obscure motivations for the statements that she made in her letter to the editor of the local newspaper.
3. With reference to language, style, a speaker, etc.; not expressing the meaning plainly or in an intelligible way: An obscure reference to a numerical quantity of "3" was not clarified so the other man could perceive what the speaker was talking about.
A speaker confuses a man with an obscure statement.
Word Info image © Copyright, 2006.

4. Not readily noticed or seen; inconspicuous: There was an obscure flaw in the chairman's reasoning.

While Sam was walking home from school, an obscure figure could be seen coming in his direction through the fog which scared him so much that he turned around and ran in the opposite direction.

The following words are synonyms: obscure, vague, and ambiguous; all of which mean, "not clearly understandable nor comprehended"

  • Obscure usually indicates a meaning which cannot be easily understood because it has not been clearly expressed or because some special knowledge is necessary: The students were confused by the obscure instructions that the teacher gave them for homework.
  • Vague suggests something which cannot be described clearly; or it can also describe anything that is difficult to understand because it is not specific: Sharon had a vague idea where the store she was looking for was located.
  • Ambiguous describes language which can be understood in more than one way: The speaker made an ambiguous statement as to what would happen if the voters refused to support the new mayor.
—Compiled from information located in
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's English Dictionary;
Merriam-Webster, Incorporated; Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A.;
2008; page 1113.
This entry is located in the following unit: obscur- (page 1)
A unit related to: “obscure
(Latin: both, on both sides; around, about; vague; obscure)
(Latin: cloud, fog; shade; dark or obscure, not easy to comprehend)