Synonyms for obscure
- adjective
- verb
Most common
vague dark ambiguous murky incomprehensible mysterious hidden esoteric
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Vague — dark, faint or indistinct
vague, dark, ambiguous, murky, indistinct, nameless, hazy, distant, dim, dull, ill-defined, undefined, shadowy, gloomy, undistinguished, opaque, dusky, shady, unclear, turbid, doubtful, indefinite
2. Incomprehensible — difficult to understand; abstruse
incomprehensible, abstruse formal, mysterious, enigmatic, unintelligible, inscrutable, puzzling, difficult, complicated, inexplicable, subtle, complex, dense, unfathomable, deep, profound, thick, intricate dated
3. Hidden — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
hidden, inconspicuous, secret, concealed, obfuscated, secluded, low-profile, invisible, veiled, covered
Other
unknown, un-noticed, strange, unsung, unfamiliar, undiscovered, isolated, humble, obsolete, unnoticeable
Verb
2. Hide — to hide, put out of sight etc
4. Becloud — to render obscure; to darken; to make dim; to keep in the dark; to hide; to make less visible, intelligible…
Definitions
- adj. 1
Dark, faint or indistinct.
I found myself in an obscure wood.
- adj. 2
Hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous.
- v. 1
To render obscure; to darken; to make dim; to keep in the dark; to hide; to make less visible, intelligible, legible, glorious, beautiful, or illustrious.
- v. 2
To hide, put out of sight etc.
Related words
- Word family
- obscurely obscureness obscuration obscurity
Forms
- Past participle
- obscured
e.g. obscured → fogged, obfuscated, clouded, misted…
Choose the right word
That is obscure, shadowy, or shady from which the light is more or less cut off. Murky is said of that which is at once dark, obscure, and gloomy; as, a murky den; a murky sky.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- vague I deal in facts and figures, not vague impressions.
- ambiguous The main feature of this scheme is still ambiguous.
- murky Stefan dived and disappeared into the murky water.
- indistinct The squamosal bears an indistinct, gently curved ridge.
- mysterious A mysterious spaceship was flying away from Earth.
- incomprehensible This language is incomprehensible to me when spoken.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| obscure | steady | |
| vague | steady | |
| ambiguous | rising | |
| murky | rising | |
| indistinct | falling | |
| mysterious | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- fog1, dim1
- 4 letters
- dark1, deep1, hide1, dull1, mist1, blur1, hazy2
- 5 letters
- thick1, cloud1, dense1, vague1, shady2, murky2, dusky, bedim
- 6 letters
- secret2, hidden2, subtle2, humble2, mystic2, gloomy2, opaque2, veiled1, occult2, arcane2, unsung2, turbid2
- 7 letters
- complex2, covered2, strange1, unknown2, distant2, unclear2, confuse2, conceal2, shadowy3, becloud
- 8 letters
- isolated4, profound2, obsolete3, doubtful2, mystical3, secluded3, esoteric4, nameless2, puzzling3, confound2, abstruse2
- 9 letters
- difficult3, invisible4, concealed2, ambiguous4, intricate3, enigmatic4, undefined3, obfuscate3, recondite3
- 10 letters
- mysterious4, unfamiliar4, indefinite4, indistinct3, obliterate4, obfuscated
- 11 letters
- complicated4, inscrutable4
- 12 letters
- inexplicable5, undiscovered4, unfathomable5, unnoticeable
- 13 letters
- inconspicuous4
- 14 letters
- unintelligible6
- 15 letters
- undistinguished4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (hazy2 = 2 syllables).