ob·scure
äb-ˈskyu̇r 
əb-
1
2
: not readily understood or clearly expressed
3
4
: constituting the unstressed vowel \ə\ or having unstressed \ə\ as its value
obscurely
adverb
obscureness
noun
obscured; obscuring
1
: to make dark, dim, or indistinct
The soot on the lampshade obscured the light.
2
: to conceal or hide by or as if by covering
… snow on glaciers can obscure deep crevasses.—
Tom Simon
Tom Simon3
: to reduce (a vowel) to the value \ə\
Examples of obscure in a Sentence
Adjective
Many people shared an obscure sense of gratification that [Dylan] Thomas had died young, as a poet should.
—Adam Kirsch, New Yorker, 5 July 2004
But by 1830 the Boston Mission Board was desperate enough that it targeted an obscure sect of Oriental Christians, the Nestorians in faraway Iran, as a possibility for conversion.
—Robert D. Kaplan, The Arabists, 1993
I knew they were special from their jeans and T-shirts, their knowing, ironic looks when obscure works of literature were referred to.
—Julia Alvarez, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, 1991
Now at last Bacon could refer when he chose to his father's high position and his father's service—and no man could say it was done for self-aggrandizement, as a son who is obscure bespeaks the glory of past forebears.
—Catherine Drinker Bowen, Francis Bacon, 1963
The movie is full of obscure references that only pop culture enthusiasts will understand.
The origins of the language are obscure.
Verb
Throughout this book, the ground of fact becomes obscured entirely by a deep layer of speculative quicksand.
—Helen Vendler, New Republic, 10 June 2002
But evening comes or even noon and some combination of nervous tensions obscures my memories of what whiskey costs me in the way of physical and intellectual well-being.
—John Cheever, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 1990
… [Mr. Schuller's] … "Early Jazz" brought a sometimes Olympian precision to writing about an art that has often languished in the whale's belly of sociology, obscured by pretension and blubbery thinking.
—Stanley Crouch, New York Times Book Review, 2 Apr. 1989
It was eight o'clock when we landed; we walked for a short time on the shore enjoying the transitory light, and then retired to the inn and contemplated the lovely scene of waters, woods, and mountains, obscured in darkness, yet still displaying their black outlines.
—Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein, 1818
The true history has been obscured by legends about what happened.
They accused the company of trying to obscure the fact that the product poses a health risk.
Noun
… who shall … through the palpable obscure find out his uncouth way … ?
—John Milton, Paradise Lost, 1667
Adam Kirsch, New Yorker, 5 July 2004
But by 1830 the Boston Mission Board was desperate enough that it targeted an obscure sect of Oriental Christians, the Nestorians in faraway Iran, as a possibility for conversion.
—Robert D. Kaplan, The Arabists, 1993
I knew they were special from their jeans and T-shirts, their knowing, ironic looks when obscure works of literature were referred to.
—Julia Alvarez, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, 1991
Now at last Bacon could refer when he chose to his father's high position and his father's service—and no man could say it was done for self-aggrandizement, as a son who is obscure bespeaks the glory of past forebears.
—Catherine Drinker Bowen, Francis Bacon, 1963
The movie is full of obscure references that only pop culture enthusiasts will understand.
The origins of the language are obscure.
Verb
Throughout this book, the ground of fact becomes obscured entirely by a deep layer of speculative quicksand.
—Helen Vendler, New Republic, 10 June 2002
But evening comes or even noon and some combination of nervous tensions obscures my memories of what whiskey costs me in the way of physical and intellectual well-being.
—John Cheever, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 1990
… [Mr. Schuller's] … "Early Jazz" brought a sometimes Olympian precision to writing about an art that has often languished in the whale's belly of sociology, obscured by pretension and blubbery thinking.
—Stanley Crouch, New York Times Book Review, 2 Apr. 1989
It was eight o'clock when we landed; we walked for a short time on the shore enjoying the transitory light, and then retired to the inn and contemplated the lovely scene of waters, woods, and mountains, obscured in darkness, yet still displaying their black outlines.
—Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein, 1818
The true history has been obscured by legends about what happened.
They accused the company of trying to obscure the fact that the product poses a health risk.
Noun
… who shall … through the palpable obscure find out his uncouth way … ?
—John Milton, Paradise Lost, 1667
Recent Examples on the Web
Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Many years have passed since nursing home patients lived in the Redlands Road building, the obscure permit on which the occupancy rested has lapsed.
—Lou Murray, Boston Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
Preston Fore, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
Without spoiling the climax, A Tale of Two Sisters uses the haunted house motif almost as a window dressing to obscure the psychological aspects at play in this immensely enthralling, supernatural flick.
—Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscure
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
Even then, though, the path is obscure.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Many years have passed since nursing home patients lived in the Redlands Road building, the obscure permit on which the occupancy rested has lapsed.
—Lou Murray, Boston Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
Traditional narratives obscure the role slavery might have played in Texas’ drive for independence and portray the Alamo’s defenders as freedom fighters.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
Without spoiling the climax, A Tale of Two Sisters uses the haunted house motif almost as a window dressing to obscure the psychological aspects at play in this immensely enthralling, supernatural flick.
—Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscure
Cite this Entry
“Obscure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obscure. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
obscure
1 of 2 adjective
ob·scure
äb-ˈskyu̇(ə)r
əb-
2
: not easily understood or not clearly expressed
an obscure passage
3
a
: hidden from view : remote
an obscure village
b
: not widely known
an obscure poet
obscurely
adverb
obscure
2 of 2 verb
obscured; obscuring
: to make obscure
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