obscurity


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ob·scu·ri·ty

(ŏb-skyo͝or′ĭ-tē, əb-)
n. pl. ob·scu·ri·ties
1. Deficiency or absence of light; darkness.
2.
a. The quality or condition of being unknown: "Even utter obscurity need not be an obstacle to [political] success" (New Republic).
b. One that is unknown.
3.
a. The quality or condition of being imperfectly known or difficult to understand: "writings meant to be understood ... by all, composed without deliberate obscurity or hidden motives" (National Review).
b. An instance of being imperfectly known or difficult to understand.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

obscurity

(əbˈskjʊərɪtɪ)
n, pl -ties
1. the state or quality of being obscure
2. an obscure person or thing
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ob•scu•ri•ty

(əbˈskyʊər ɪ ti)

n., pl. -ties.
1. the state or quality of being obscure.
2. a person or thing that is obscure.
[1470–80]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun 1. [画像:obscurity - the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand]obscurity - the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand
incomprehensibility - the quality of being incomprehensible
clarity, clearness, limpidity, lucidity, lucidness, pellucidity - free from obscurity and easy to understand; the comprehensibility of clear expression
2. obscurity - an obscure and unimportant standing; not well known; "he worked in obscurity for many years"
standing - social or financial or professional status or reputation; "of equal standing"; "a member in good standing"
anonymity, namelessness - the state of being anonymous
humbleness, lowliness, obscureness, unimportance - the state of being humble and unimportant
nowhere - an insignificant place; "he came out of nowhere"
limbo, oblivion - the state of being disregarded or forgotten
prominence - the state of being prominent: widely known or eminent
3. obscurity - the state of being indistinct or indefinite for lack of adequate illumination
semidarkness - partial darkness
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

obscurity

noun
3. enigma, mystery, puzzle, problem, difficulty, complexity, riddle, conundrum Whatever its obscurities, the poem was clear on one count.
4. darkness, dark, shadows, shade, gloom, haze, blackness, murk, dimness, murkiness, haziness, duskiness, shadiness, shadowiness, indistinctness the vast branches vanished into deep indigo obscurity above my head
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

obscurity

noun
1. Absence or deficiency of light:
2. The quality or state of being obscure:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
ظَلام، ظُلْمَه، غُموض
uklarhed
óskÿrleiki; torræîni
anlaşılmazlık

obscurity

[əbˈskjʊərɪtɪ] N
1. (= the unknown) → oscuridad f
to live in obscurity → vivir en la oscuridad
she rose from obscurity to be a leading name in fashion → salió de la nada para llegar a ser un nombre destacado del mundo de la moda
the band faded into obscurity → el grupo cayó en el olvido
2. (= complexity) [of language, idea] → oscuridad f
obscurities (in a book) → puntos mpl oscuros
3. (liter) (= darkness) → oscuridad f
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

obscurity

[əbˈskjʊərəti] n
[unknown person, thing] → obscurité f
[reply, statement] → caractère m obscur
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

obscurity

n
no pl (of a wood, night) → Dunkelheit f, → Finsternis f, → Dunkel nt
(of style, ideas, argument) → Unklarheit f, → Unverständlichkeit f, → Verworrenheit f; to lapse into obscurity → verworren or unklar werden ; he threw some light on the obscurities of the text → er erhellte einige der unklaren Textstellen
no pl (of birth, origins) → Dunkel nt; to live in obscurity → zurückgezogen leben ; to rise from obscurity → aus dem Nichts auftauchen ; in spite of the obscurity of his origins → trotz seiner unbekannten Herkunft; to sink into obscurity → in Vergessenheit geraten
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

obscurity

[əbˈskjʊərɪtɪ] n (also) (fig) → oscurità f inv
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

obscure

(əbˈskjuə) adjective
1. not clear; difficult to see. an obscure corner of the library. duister, donker مُعْتِم мрачен obscuro tmavý dunkel obskur σκοτεινός, δυσδιάκριτος obscuro, oscuro, poco claro hämar تیره و تار epäselvä obscur מעורפל अस्पष्ट nejasan homályos kabur dimmur, óljós oscuro はっきりしない 잘 보이지 않는 sunkiai pastebimas/įžiūrimas, tamsus tumšs; vāji apgaismots sukar difahami donker uklar, utydelig mroczny, niewidoczny نا څرګنده obscuro ob­scur, întunecos неясный, скрытный; тёмный tmavý mračen mračan dunkel, skum ที่ไม่ชัดเจน belirsiz 暗的,朦朧的 похмурий, темний دھندلا، غير واضح tối; mờ mịt 暗的,朦胧的
2. not well-known. an obscure author. obskure غَيْر مَشْهور، مَغْمور неизвестен obscuro málo známý unbekannt ukendt άγνωστος, άσημος obscuro vähetuntud گمنام tuntematon obscur לא יָדוּע अनजाना सा nepoznat ismeretlen tidak dikenal lítt þekktur oscuro 知られていない 유명하지 않은 menkai žinomas mazpazīstams tdk terkenal weinig bekend ukjent, upåaktet nieznany ناپيژنده obscuro obscur малоизвестный málo známy neznan nepoznat okänd ที่ไม่มีชื่อเสียง tanınmamış 不出名的 невідомий غير معروف vô danh 不引人注目的
3. difficult to understand. an obscure poem. vaag, onduidelik مُبْهَم، غامِض непонятен obscuro nejasný schwierig uforståelig δυσνόητος obscuro segane غیر قابل درک vaikeasti ymmärrettävä obscur לא בָּרוּר अस्पष्ट, मुश्किल nerazumljiv zavaros sulit dipahami torráðinn oscuro 難解な 분명하지 않은 sunkiai suprantamas, miglotas nesaprotams, miglains sukar difahami duister dunkel niejasny د درك نه وړ obscuro obscur непонятный nejasný nejasen nerazuman svårfattlig, dunkel คลุมเครือ anlaşılması zor 難解的 неясний, незрозумілий ناقابل فہم khó hiểu 难解的
verb
to make obscure. A large tree obscured the view. verduister, verdonker يَحْجُب затъмнявам obstruir (za)stínit verbergen skjule κρύβω, συγκαλύπτω ofuscar, obscurecer varjama نامشخص کردن؛ تار کردن peittää obscurcir לְהַסתִּיר रुकावट कर देना zaklanjati eltakar menghalangi hylja, skyggja á oscurare ぼかす 흐리게 하다 užstoti, (už)gožti aizsegt; aizēnot; aptumšot melindungi gedeeltelijk verborgen formørke, skjule zasłonić نا معلوم كردن، پوشانيدن obstruir a ascunde vederii затемнять; заслонять zakryť zakriti zakloniti förmörka, fördunkla, skymma ปิดบัง gizlemek, örtmek 遮掩,使不明顯 неясний, незрозумілий حائل ہونا، چھپانا che khuất 遮掩,使不明显
obˈscurely adverb
duistere, vae, onduidelike بِغُموض тъмно obscuramente nezřetelně obskur uforståeligt; skjult σκοτεινά, δυσνόητα oscuramente hämaralt بطور مبهم epämääräisesti obscurément בִּמעוּרפָּל अंधकारमयता से, घूमिलता से, प्रच्छन्नतापूर्वक, दुर्बोधतापूर्वक zaklonjeno, nejasno homályosan secara kabur óljóst, ógreinilega oscuramente あいまいに 애매하게 neaiškiai neskaidri; miglaini dgn gaya yg sukar difahami duister uklart, utydelig, tilslørt niejasno په ناڅرګنده توګه obscuramente obscur темно; непонятно; смутно nezreteľne mračno mračno dunkelt, skumt อย่างมืดมัว anlaşılmaz bir şekilde 遮掩 неясно, незрозуміло مخفي انداز ميں che khuất 遮掩,暗地地,朦胧地,难解地
obˈscurity noun
duisternis, vaagheid, onduidelikheid, onbekendheid ظَلام، ظُلْمَه، غُموض тъмнина obscuridade temnota die Dunkelheit uklarhed σκοτάδι, ασάφεια, αφάνεια oscuridad hämarus تاریکی؛ ابهام epämääräisyys obscurité אפלה अचर्चित होना, कठिनाई, अंधेरा skrovitost, skrivenost sötétség, homály kekaburan óskÿrleiki; torræðni oscurità あいまいさ 애매한 상태 nežinia, nežinomybė, neaiškumas tumsa; neskaidrība; neziņa tdk dikenali duisterheid utydelighet; ubemerkethet mrok, zapomnienie, niejasność ناڅرګنديدا obscuridade obscuritate темнота; неясность; неизвестность temnota tema mračnost dunkel, svårfattlighet, obemärkthet ความไม่ชัดแจ้ง anlaşılmazlık 遮掩 темрява; неясність ابہام، دھندلاپن sự tối tăm; khó hiểu 朦胧,不明,费解,隐晦
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
A still greater obscurity lies in the distinctive characters by which the objects in each of these great departments of nature have been arranged and assorted.
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AN Old Politician and a Young Politician were travelling through a beautiful country, by the dusty highway which leads to the City of Prosperous Obscurity. Lured by the flowers and the shade and charmed by the songs of birds which invited to woodland paths and green fields, his imagination fired by glimpses of golden domes and glittering palaces in the distance on either hand, the Young Politician said:
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Already wood and hill Sank in obscurity. The river marge Seemed but a broken line to failing sight.
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He walked on, going from obscurity into promises of a greater obscurity.
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It shook with his measured breath, as he gave out the psalm; it threw its obscurity between him and the holy page, as he read the Scriptures; and while he prayed, the veil lay heavily on his uplifted countenance.
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The hatches of the saloon were open, and, as the beacon light of the Nautilus was not in action, a dim obscurity reigned in the midst of the waters.
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de Wardes must take his departure, still in obscurity.
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How can it be otherwise, when all one's prospect, all one's landscapes, historical pieces, portraits, flowers, still life, are nothing but a single line, with no varieties except degrees of brightness and obscurity?
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On the fourteenth day I went into the kitchen, and I was surprised to find that the fronds of the red weed had grown right across the hole in the wall, turning the half-light of the place into a crimson-coloured obscurity.
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At eighteen, Miss Murray was to emerge from the quiet obscurity of the schoolroom into the full blaze of the fashionable world--as much of it, at least, as could be had out of London; for her papa could not be persuaded to leave his rural pleasures and pursuits, even for a few weeks' residence in town.
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The roads were bad, and the dense obscurity of the night increased the difficulty of getting over the ground quickly.
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The obscurity lent him courage to keep his eves fastened as ardently as he liked upon the girl who sat in the firelight.
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