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