1
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
a fantasy writer who likes to put lots of obscure references and images in her tales of wizards and warlocks
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unknown
not widely known
he's an obscure artist now, but he's sure to be famous someday
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3
as in darkened
being without light or without much light
hid in an obscure spot among the trees
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4
as in vague
not seen or understood clearly
a distinction so obscure that only the experts can really see it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to conceal
to keep secret or shut off from view
the investigative reporters obscured their real motives for visiting the company by pretending the story was about something else
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2
as in to blur
to make dark, dim, or indistinct
when it isn't obscured by smog, the view of the city from the observatory can be spectacular
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obscure
James Wood, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
Tariffs, a sometimes obscure economic tool, have massive power, especially when enacted this expansively.
—Erica Pandey, Axios, 5 Apr. 2025
Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2025
Materials on the Arlington National Cemetery website highlighting the graves of Black and female service members have vanished or been obscured.
—Sara Ruberg, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscure
Adjective
The second stranger, another returnee, is more obscure.
—James Wood, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
Tariffs, a sometimes obscure economic tool, have massive power, especially when enacted this expansively.
—Erica Pandey, Axios, 5 Apr. 2025
Verb
But a prolonged period of economic uncertainty alone can prove fatal, obscuring future borrowing costs, dampening consumer spending, and otherwise hindering the strategic planning and managerial decision-making involved in running a small business.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2025
Materials on the Arlington National Cemetery website highlighting the graves of Black and female service members have vanished or been obscured.
—Sara Ruberg, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obscure
Adjective
-
But the scene itself could be read as a little ambiguous, too: is Sammie trying to pierce the veil again, playing a song that could both foster community but also bring back the vampires?—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
18 Apr. 2025
-
As the days turned into weeks, the reality of her situation remained ambiguous.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In 96% of the cases, patients were unvaccinated or their vaccination status was unknown.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
19 Apr. 2025
-
At this time, the containment status is unknown and the cause of the fire remains undetermined.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In fact, those professions grew because the accountant must also talk to clients, ask them questions, make judgement calls about sometimes vague tax code interpretations and execute numerous other judgements on a daily basis.—
Ismail Amla,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Instead of vague goals, such as align with human values, researchers and developers can talk about specific contexts and roles for AI more clearly.—
Aidan Kierans,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Seiders, 44, is charged with felony child pornography possession, misdemeanor annoying a child under 18, concealing a camera with intent to invade privacy and attempting to conceal a camera.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Spectators got wind of the sensible footwear concealed by the Fiesta finery and began demanding to see the shoes.—
Jill Robbins,
Southern Living,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Here, the border of the gayborhood blurs with the gay beach.—
JD Shadel,
Them.,
21 Apr. 2025
-
The extensive use of glass enhances visibility while blurring the boundaries between the interior and exterior, making every journey feel seamless and connected to the surroundings.—
The Editors,
Robb Report,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Generally, when a player makes a cryptic social media post ...—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Apr. 2025
-
Pittsburgh Steelers four-time All-pro defensive end T.J. Watt had a cryptic post on his Instagram account that had the NFL world in a social media frenzy.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Details are still murky with the plan yet to be formally presented to the all-powerful ICC board.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
-
The process, however, has been murky based on which military branch people are looking to return to, with only the Navy offering a solid idea of the decision.—
Ellen Mitchell,
The Hill,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
By subtracting these reference images from the target images, the team effectively removed the star's light, isolating the faint signals from the planets.—
Victoria Corless,
Space.com,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Being generally smaller, colder and much darker than a star, exoplanets are also harder to detect, so specialized techniques are required for capturing their faint signals.—
Shi En Kim,
Smithsonian Magazine,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obscure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obscure. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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