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
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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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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
Ben Adler, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2025
For superfans, who are probably drawn to one of their more obscure or odd films, this adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel has always felt like a really good but somewhat familiar riff on past Coen themes.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 10 Mar. 2025
So many hats are shaped with the very purpose of not obscuring the wearer’s vision, and this one bravely spits in the face of that notion.
—Kinsey Jasnoch, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscure
Adjective
Those groups want Democrats to deploy obscure stalling tactics in the Senate, such as taking attendance to force enough a majority of senators to be on the floor and going through slow procedural votes.
—Ben Adler, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2025
For superfans, who are probably drawn to one of their more obscure or odd films, this adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel has always felt like a really good but somewhat familiar riff on past Coen themes.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
Verb
During a lunar eclipse, Earth’s shadow obscures the moon, according to NASA.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 10 Mar. 2025
So many hats are shaped with the very purpose of not obscuring the wearer’s vision, and this one bravely spits in the face of that notion.
—Kinsey Jasnoch, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obscure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obscure
Adjective
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Team Harris’s strategy appeared to rely heavily on a short campaign window, with a sparse interview schedule, slow windup to unscripted events, and ambiguous policy positions.—
W. James Antle III,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
14 Mar. 2025
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Instead, security leaders typically present compliance checklists, regulatory obligations and ambiguous risk scores that executives then struggle to translate into financial and operational impact.—
Jerry Layden,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Almost all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, health officials said.—
Youri Benadjaoud,
ABC News,
13 Mar. 2025
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No injuries have been reported and the cause of the fire is unknown.—
Katie Langford,
The Denver Post,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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When breaches do occur, the notifications are often vague or slow to arrive, leaving users unaware of the risks they have been exposed to—and unsure of how to respond effectively.—
Alex Vakulov,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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Cooking up breakfast, lunch and dinner miles from the vaguest evidence of human civilization becomes easier than ever before.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Dark Empaths can grasp the subtleties of human behavior and use that insight to conceal their shortcomings behind a brash level of confidence.—
Dan Pontefract,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
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In July 2024, a judge threw out the involuntary manslaughter case against Baldwin with prejudice after the actor's lead attorney, Alex Spiro, argued that prosecutors had concealed evidence of ammunition that may have been linked to the fatal shooting.—
Rachel Brodsky,
TIME,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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From music tailored to your mood to movies created by AI, the line between human and machine creativity is blurring.—
Andrey Fadeev,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
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Filters have a more dramatic effect on images than Film Sims, with options that include a miniature effect that blurs part of the scene to simulate a photograph of a diorama, a low-fi toy camera filter, high and low-key exposure looks, and others.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Bachelor alum took to social media on Wednesday, March 19, with a cryptic message seemingly responding to her ex-boyfriend Brendan Morais’ hard launch with his new girlfriend Serene Russell.—
Liza Esquibias,
People.com,
21 Mar. 2025
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The episode ends with a cryptic phone call to Luca from a family member, hinting at their ties to the resort.—
Martine Paris,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The situation here becomes more murky because Fusion GPS hired Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer, to investigate Trump’s ties with Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin.—
Niall Stanage,
The Hill,
14 Mar. 2025
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This is where things get really interesting—and ethically murky.—
Tim Bates,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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My duties typically involved being sent to the nearby New York Public Library to hunt down some faint memory scratching at Carter’s brain.—
Seth Abramovitch,
The Hollywood Reporter,
20 Mar. 2025
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Most of the files are scans of documents, and some are blurred or have become faint or difficult to read in the decades since Kennedy's assassination.—
Joel Shannon,
USA TODAY,
19 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obscure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obscure. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.
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