obscure

Pronunciation: /əbˈskjʊɹ/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B2 — Upper-Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. verb make less visible or unclear
  2. verb make unclear, indistinct, or blurred
  3. verb make obscure or unclear

Etymology

From Middle English obscure, from Old French obscur, from Latin obscūrus (“dark, dusky, indistinct”), from ob- + *scūrus, from Proto-Italic *skoiros, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱeh₃-. Doublet of oscuro.

In classic literature

Synonyms

befog, becloud, obnubilate, haze over, fog, cloud, mist

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
hide
Narrower (hyponyms)
overshadow

A single word — an entire dictionary opens.

Type a word, a sentence, a book title, or a link to an English article. WordNet and the Classics answer.

Try

A library of classics · a vault of words · instant etymology & meaning

Continue reading

Nice save! Solidify it with review →