obscure as a verb: - 1
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as an adjective: - 1
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obscure
verb
1 obscure
Make less visible or unclear:
— The stars are obscured by the clouds.
— The big elm tree obscures our view of the valley.
synonyms: becloud, befog, cloud, fog, haze over, mist, obnubilate.
Roget 874:
be inglorious
etc.
adj.;
incur disgrace
etc.
n.;
have a bad name,
earn a bad name;
put a halter round one's neck,
wear a halter round one's neck;
disgrace oneself,
expose oneself.
play second fiddle;
lose caste;
pale one's ineffectual fire;
recede into the shade;
fall from one's high estate;
keep in the background
etc.
(modesty)
881;
be conscious of disgrace
etc.
(humility)
879;
look blue,
look foolish,
look like a fool;
cut a poor figure,
cut a sorry figure;
laugh on the wrong side of the mouth;
make a sorry face,
go away with a flea in.
one's ear,
slink away.
cause shame
etc.
n.;
shame,
disgrace,
put to shame,
dishonor;
throw dishonor upon,
cast dishonor upon,
fling dishonor upon,
reflect dishonor upon
etc.
n.;
be a reproach
etc.
n..
to;
derogate from.
tarnish,
stain,
blot sully,
taint;
discredit;
degrade,
debase,
defile;
beggar;
expel
etc.
(punish)
972.
impute shame to,
brand,
post,
stigmatize,
vilify,
defame,
slur,
cast a slur upon,
hold up to shame,
send to Coventry;
tread under foot,
trample under foot;
show up,
drag through the mire,
heap dirt upon;
reprehend
etc.
932.
bring low,
put down,
snub;
take down a peg,
take down a peg lower,
take down a peg or two.
obscure.
eclipse,
outshine,
take the shine out of;
throw into the shade,
cast into the shade;
overshadow;
leave in the background,
put in the background;
push into a corner,
put one's nose out of joint;
put out,
put out of countenance.
upset,
throw off one's center;
discompose,
disconcert;
put to the blush
etc.
(humble)
879.
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Roget 431:
be black
etc.
adj.;
render black
etc.
adj..
blacken,
infuscate†,
denigrate;
blot,
blotch;
smutch†;
smirch;
darken
etc.
421.
black,
sable,
swarthy,
somber,
dark,
inky,
ebony,
ebon,
atramentous†,
jetty;
coal-black,
jet-black;
fuliginous†,
pitchy,
sooty,
swart,
dusky,
dingy,
murky,
Ethiopic;
low-toned,
low in tone;
of the deepest dye.
black as jet
etc.
n.,
black as my hat,
black as a shoe,
black as a tinker's pot,
black as November,
black as thunder,
black as midnight;
nocturnal
etc.
(dark)
421;
nigrescent†;
gray
etc.
432;
obscure
etc.
421.
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Dutch: bewolken, misten, nevelen
2 obscure
3 obscure
Make obscure or unclear:
— The distinction was obscured.
synonyms: bedim, overcloud.
Roget 422:
be dim,
grow dim
etc.
adj.;
flicker,
twinkle,
glimmer;
loom,
lower;
fade;
pale,
pale its ineffectual fire
[Hamlet].
render dim
etc.
adj.;
dim,
bedim†,
obscure;
darken,
tone down.
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Roget 421:
be dark
etc.
adj..
darken,
obscure,
shade;
dim;
tone down,
lower;
overcast,
overshadow;
eclipse;
obfuscate,
offuscate†;
obumbrate†,
adumbrate;
cast into the shade becloud,
bedim†,
bedarken†;
cast a shade,
throw a shade,
spread a shade,
cast a shadow,
cast a gloom,
throw a shadow,
spread a shadow,
cast gloom,
throw gloom,
spread gloom.
extinguish;
put out,
blow out,
snuff out;
doubt.
turn out the lights,
douse the lights,
dim the lights,
turn off the lights,
switch off the lights.
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4 obscure
Reduce a vowel to a neutral one, such as a schwa.
5 obscure
adjective
1 obscure
Not clearly expressed or understood:
— An obscure turn of phrase.
— An impulse to go off and fight certain obscure battles of his own spirit.
synonym: vague.
Roget 876:
ignoble,
common,
mean,
low,
base,
vile,
sorry,
scrubby,
beggarly;
below par;
no great shakes
etc.
(unimportant)
643;
homely,
homespun;
vulgar,
low-minded;
snobbish.
plebeian,
proletarian;
of low parentage,
of low origin,
of low extraction,
of mean parentage,
of mean origin,
of mean extraction;
lowborn,
baseborn,
earthborn†;
mushroom,
dunghill,
risen from the ranks;
unknown to fame,
obscure,
untitled.
rustic,
uncivilized;
loutish,
boorish,
clownish,
churlish,
brutish,
raffish;
rude,
unlicked†.
barbarous,
barbarian,
barbaric,
barbaresque†;
cockney,
born within sound of Bow bells.
underling,
menial,
subaltern.
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Roget 571:
obscure
etc.
n.;
crabbed,
involved,
confused.
Roget 874:
disgraced
etc.
v.;
blown upon;
shorn of its beams"
[Milton],
shorn of one's glory;
overcome,
downtrodden;
loaded with shame
etc.
n.;
in bad repute
etc.
n.;
out of repute,
out of favor,
out of fashion,
out of countenance;
at a discount;
under a cloud,
under an eclipse;
unable to show one's face;
in the shade,
in the background;
out at elbows,
down at the elbows,
down in the world.
inglorious;
nameless,
renownless†;
obscure;
unknown to fame;
unnoticed,
unnoted†,
unhonored,
unglorified†.
shameful;
disgraceful,
discreditable,
disreputable;
despicable;
questionable;
unbecoming,
unworthy;
derogatory;
degrading,
humiliating,
infra dignitatem [Lat.],
dedecorous†;
scandalous,
infamous,
too bad,
unmentionable;
ribald,
opprobrious;
errant,
shocking,
outrageous,
notorious.
ignominious,
scrubby,
dirty,
abject,
vile,
beggarly,
pitiful,
low,
mean,
shabby base
etc.
(dishonorable)
940.
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2 obscure
Marked by difficulty of style or expression:
— Those who do not appreciate Kafka's work say his style is obscure.
synonym: dark.
Roget 519:
unintelligible,
unaccountable,
undecipherable,
undiscoverable,
unknowable,
unfathomable;
incognizable†,
inexplicable,
inscrutable;
inapprehensible†,
incomprehensible;
insolvable†,
insoluble;
impenetrable.
illegible,
as Greek to one,
unexplained,
paradoxical;
enigmatic,
enigmatical,
puzzling
(secret)
533;
indecipherable.
obscure,
dark,
muddy,
clear as mud,
seen through a mist,
dim,
nebulous,
shrouded in mystery;
opaque,
dense;
undiscernible
etc.
(invisible)
447†;
misty
etc.
(opaque)
426;
hidden
etc.
528;
latent
etc.
526.
indefinite,
garbled
etc.
(indistinct)
447;
perplexed
etc.
(confused)
59;
undetermined,
vague,
loose,
ambiguous;
mysterious;
mystic,
mystical;
acroamatic†,
acroamatical†;
metempirical;
transcendental;
occult,
recondite,
abstruse,
crabbed.
inconceivable,
inconceptible†;
searchless†;
above comprehension,
beyond comprehension,
past comprehension;
beyond one's depth;
unconceived.
inexpressible,
undefinable,
incommunicable.
unpredictable,
unforeseeable.
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Roget 447:
invisible,
imperceptible;
undiscernible†,
indiscernible;
unapparent,
non-apparent;
out of sight,
not in sight;
a perte de vue [Fr.];
behind the scenes,
behind the curtain;
viewless,
sightless;
inconspicuous,
unconspicuous†;
unseen
etc.
(see)
etc.
441;
covert
etc.
(latent)
526;
eclipsed,
under an eclipse.
dim
etc.
(faint)
422;
mysterious,
dark,
obscure,
confused;
indistinct,
indistinguishable;
shadowy,
indefinite,
undefined;
ill-defined,
ill-marked;
blurred,
fuzzy,
out of focus;
misty
etc.
(opaque)
426;
delitescent†.
hidden,
obscured,
covered,
veiled
(concealed)
528.
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Roget 421:
dark,
darksome†,
darkling;
obscure,
tenebrious†,
sombrous†,
pitch dark,
pitchy,
pitch black;
caliginous†;
black
etc.
(in color)
431.
sunless,
lightless
etc.
(sun)
(light),
etc.
423;
somber,
dusky;
unilluminated
etc.
(illuminate)
etc.
420†;
nocturnal;
dingy,
lurid,
gloomy;
murky,
murksome†;
shady,
umbrageous;
overcast
etc.
(dim)
422;
cloudy
etc.
(opaque)
426;
darkened;
etc.
v..
dark as pitch,
dark as a pit,
dark as Erebus [Lat.].
benighted;
noctivagant†,
noctivagous†.
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3 obscure
Difficult to find:
— An obscure retreat.
synonym: hidden.
4 obscure
Not famous or acclaimed:
— An obscure family.
synonyms: unknown, unsung.
5 obscure
Not drawing attention:
— An obscure flaw.
synonym: unnoticeable.
Polish: niezauważalny, lekki, nieznaczny
6 obscure
Remote and separate physically or socially:
— An obscure village.
synonyms: apart, isolated.
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