English▸ adjective
(obscurer, obscurest)
not discovered or known about; uncertain: his origins and parentage are obscure.
▪ not clearly expressed or easily understood:
obscure references to Proust.
▪ not important or well known:
an obscure religious sect.
▪ hard to make out or define; vague:
figurative I feel an obscure resentment.
▪ (of a color) not sharply defined; dim or dingy.
▸ verb [with object] keep from being seen; conceal:
gray clouds obscure the sun.
▪ make unclear and difficult to understand:
the debate has become obscured by conflicting ideological perspectives.
▪ overshadow:
none of this should obscure the skill, experience, and perseverance of the workers.
– ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French obscur, from Latin obscurus ‘dark’, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘cover’.