obscurity
Other forms: obscurities
One meaning of obscurity is nobody knowing who you are, and another definition is something that is hard to understand because it’s too complex or unclear.
Obscurity is the opposite of fame, and living in obscurity means that nobody knows your name. Many musicians played in obscurity for years before becoming rock stars. The Latin obscurus means “dark,” which is where obscurity is found: in the dark where no one sees it. Something difficult to comprehend has obscurity, for example the obscurity of a medical magazine, or a complex poem that is full of literary obscurities, referencing other poems that no one has read.
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the state of being indistinct or indefinite for lack of adequate illuminationsynonyms: obscurenesstype of:semidarknesspartial darkness
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the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understandsynonyms: abstruseness, obscureness, reconditenessantonyms:claritythe quality of being coherent and easily understoodtype of:incomprehensibilitythe quality of being incomprehensible
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an obscure and unimportant standing; not well known“he worked in obscurity for many years”antonyms:prominencethe state of being prominent: widely known or eminenttypes:nowherean insignificant placetype of:standingsocial or financial or professional status or reputation
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Vocabulary lists containing obscurity
Thomas wakes up in a strange place with his memories erased, surrounded by people he doesn't know. The only way out is through a shifting, kaleidoscopic maze—and no one has ever reached the end.
In this play inspired by the Greek myth of Pygmalion, Professor Henry Higgins bets that he can transform Eliza Doolittle, a poor flower seller, into a cultured and genteel lady.
When a minister begins to wear a veil over his face, his community reacts with gossip, suspicion, and fear. Uncover the meaning of these words from the short story found in Twice-Told Tales. Here are links to our lists for works by Nathaniel Hawthorne: Dr. Heidegger's Experiment, Feathertop, Rappaccini's Daughter, The Birthmark, The Minister's Black Veil, Young Goodman Brown, The Blithedale Romance, The Scarlet Letter