English dictionary
obscure
adjectivePronunciation
əbˈskjʊə(ɹ)
Audio pronunciation
Parts of speech
Definitions
adjective
- not clearly expressed or understood
adjective
- marked by difficulty of style or expression
adjective
- remote and separate physically or socially
adjective
- not drawing attention
adjective
- not famous or acclaimed
adjective
- difficult to find
verb
- make unintelligible or unclear
verb
- make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing
verb
- reduce a vowel to a neutral one, such as a schwa
verb
- make unclear, indistinct, or blurred
verb
- make less visible or unclear
Example sentences
an obscure turn of phrase
{'source': 'Anatole Broyard', 'text': 'an impulse to go off and fight certain obscure battles of his own spirit'}
{'source': 'P.A.Sorokin', 'text': 'their descriptions of human behavior become vague, dull, and unclear'}
{'source': 'John Locke', 'text': 'vague … forms of speech … have so long passed for mysteries of science'}
much that was dark is now quite clear to me
those who do not appreciate Kafka's work say his style is obscure
existed over the centuries as a world apart
{'source': 'W.H.Hudson', 'text': 'preserved because they inhabited a place apart'}
tiny isolated villages remote from centers of civilization
an obscure village
an unnoticeable cigarette burn on the carpet
an obscure flaw
an obscure family
unsung heroes of the war
hidden valleys
a hidden cave
an obscure retreat
The distinction was obscured
a hidden message
a veiled threat
Her remarks confused the debate
Their words obnubilate their intentions
The stars are obscured by the clouds
the big elm tree obscures our view of the valley