Synonym: Dark, dim, darksome, dusky, shadowy, misty, abstruse, intricate, difficult, mysterious, retired, unnoticed, unknown, humble, mean, indistinct. (Science: optics) Obscure rays, those rays which are not luminous or visible, and which in the spectrum are beyond the limits of the visible portion. Not clear, full, or distinct clouded imperfect as, an obscure view of remote objects. Not easily understood not clear or legible abstruse or blind as, an obscure passage or inscription.ĥ. The obscure bird Clamored the livelong night. Of or pertaining to darkness or night inconspicuous to the sight indistinctly seen hidden retired remote from observation unnoticed. His lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness. 'How can that be' asked Hunt, irritated by the obscurity of Henrys reply. An obscurity is something that is difficult to understand. Covered over, shaded, or darkened destitute of light imperfectly illuminated dusky dim. Obscurity is the quality of being difficult to understand. These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'obscurity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. 2022 Castillo, 52, a former rural school teacher, emerged from obscurity last year to unexpectedly win the presidency for the socialist Peru Libre party. 2022 Chaves returned to the country in 2019 after decades abroad and rose from obscurity in just months by presenting himself as a maverick outsider, skillfully exploiting popular discontent with the Latin American political establishment.ĭavid Bolaños,, 4 Apr. Sophie Dweck, Town & Country, 3 June 2022 Which is strange, since no American of the 19th century - not even Lincoln - enjoyed a more meteoric rise from obscurity.Īllen C. Katie Rife, EW.com, 17 June 2022 Being a head chef is hard enough, but being a 21-year-old plucked from obscurity to become a head chef for none other than Prince Charles? A state of being unknown to fame humble condition as the. Illegibleness as the obscurity of letters or of an inscription. Darkness of meaning unintelligibleness as the obscurity of writings or of a particular passage. For each such specific sense, a definiens is a cluster of words that defines that term. A state of retirement from the world a state of being unnoticed privacy.
Helderman, Washington Post, 21 June 2022 The group vaulted from obscurity to national attention last week with the disclosure that Thomas had invited pro-Trump lawyer John Eastman to speak to its members in December 2020.Īnchorage Daily News, 21 June 2022 Emerging from obscurity to become a cult classic, Andrzej Żuławski's Possession is one of the most fascinating, singular visions in horror filmmaking. 1 : the state of being difficult to see or understand 2 : the state of being unknown or forgotten He lived in obscurity. A definition () is a passage that explains the meaning of a term (a word, phrase or other set of symbols), or a type of thing.The term to be defined is the definiendum.A term may have many different senses or meanings. due to the definition's obscurity or internal contradictions.
Recent Examples on the Web Parker leveraged his astute judgment of human nature to pluck Presley from obscurity as a truck driver and move him quickly from a traveling circus-like roadshow to the pinnacle of mainstream popularity.īrad Auerbach, SPIN, 22 June 2022 The group vaulted from obscurity to national attention last week with the disclosure that Thomas had invited pro-Trump lawyer John Eastman to speak to its members in December 2020. Definition is explicitly mentioned in three places in the syllabus, all in the section. obscurity noun U (BEING UNCLEAR) the state or quality of being unclear and difficult to understand or see: Many movie reviewers confuse obscurity with quality.