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Added 8 October 2026

obscure

/əbˈskjʊə(ɹ)/ verb

In Latin: ambiguus Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about obscure at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Make less visible or unclear.
The stars are obscured by the clouds
Make unclear, indistinct, or blurred.
Her remarks confused the debate
Make obscure or unclear.
The distinction was obscured

adjective

Not clearly expressed or understood.
an obscure turn of phrase
Marked by difficulty of style or expression.
much that was dark is now quite clear to me
Difficult to find.
hidden valleys

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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