obscure

US: /əbˈskjʊɹ/
UK: /ɒbskjˈɔː/


English Vietnamese dictionary


obscure /əb'skjuə/
  • tính từ
    • tối, tối tăm, mờ, mờ mịt
    • không rõ nghĩa, tối nghĩa
      • obscure style: văn tối nghĩa
    • không có tiếng tăm, ít người biết đến
      • an obscure author: tác giả không có tiếng tăm
      • an obscure village: làng ít người biết đến
  • ngoại động từ
    • làm tối, làm mờ
    • làm không rõ, làm khó hiểu
    • làm mờ (tên tuổi)
    • che khuất

Advanced English dictionary


adjective, verb
+ adjective
1 not well known: an obscure German poet + We went to see one of Shakespeare's more obscure plays. + He was born around 1650 but his origins remain obscure.
2 difficult to understand: I found her lecture very obscure. + For some obscure reason, he failed to turn up. + The meaning of his comment was obscure to everyone but himself.
obscurely adverb: They were making her feel obscurely worried (= for reasons that were difficult to understand).
+ verb [VN] to make it difficult to see, hear or understand sth: The view was obscured by fog. + Symptoms of the disease can easily be obscured. + We mustn't let these minor details obscure the main issue. + A shadow fell across her face, obscuring her expression.

Thesaurus dictionary


adj.
1 dark, unlit, gloomy, sombre, dismal, murky, dusky, black, Cimmerian, tenebrous, dim, faint, blurred, veiled, shadowy, subfusc, subfuscous, umbral, shady, hazy, foggy, befogged, clouded, nebulous, overcast, cloudy:
The traveller's lantern was barely seen in the obscure reaches of the wood.
2 unclear, uncertain, ambiguous, vague, hazy, doubtful, dubious, equivocal, indefinite, indistinct, fuzzy, blurred, confused, confusing, Delphic, puzzling, enigmatic, perplexing, baffling, mystifying, mysterious, cryptic, incomprehensible, unfamiliar, foreign, strange:
The sorcerer muttered some obscure words, and a golden horse stood prancing before them
3 secret, concealed, hidden, remote, out-of-the-way, inconspicuous, unnoticeable, secluded, unnoticed:
The caped figure scurried down the alley and disappeared into some obscure doorway
4 unknown, unheard-of, anonymous, unnamed, insignificant, unimportant, inconsequential, humble, lowly, mean, inglorious, inconspicuous, undistinguished, unnoticed, unsung, minor, little-known:
Though extremely popular, the song was written by an obscure composer.
5 abstruse, arcane, recondite, esoteric, intricate, complex, occult, out of the ordinary, unfamiliar, Colloq far-out:
He is an authority on some obscure subject like Coptic calligraphy.
v.
6 cover, conceal, hide, veil, shroud, cloak, mask, screen, disguise, keep from:
Her link with military intelligence was obscured from her family.
7 dim, bedim, cloud, becloud, dull, shroud, shade, adumbrate, overshadow, darken, obfuscate, block, eclipse:
The street lamp was obscured by trees.

Collocation dictionary


VERBS

be, seem | become
The origins of the tradition have become obscure.
| remain
The motives behind this decision remain somewhat obscure.

ADV.

extremely, very | completely, totally | largely | fairly, rather, relatively, somewhat

ADV.

completely, totally | almost | largely | half, partially, partly, slightly, somewhat | deliberately
All trace of his working-class background was deliberately obscured
| easily
Solo passages in this register are very easily obscured by other instruments.

VERB + OBSCURE

serve to, tend to
The emphasis on social integration often served to obscure the real differences within the community.
| allow sth to

PREP.

behind/beneath
The moonwas obscured behind a wall ofcloud.

PHRASES

obscure the fact that …
These figures obscure the fact thata lot of older people live in greatpoverty.
| obscure sth from view
The house was obscured from viewby a high hedge.


Concise English dictionary


obscures|obscured|obscuring|obscurer|obscurestəb'skjʊr /əb'skjʊə
verb
+make less visible or unclear
+make unclear, indistinct, or blurred
+make obscure or unclear
+make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing
+make difficult to perceive by sight
adj.
+not clearly understood or expressed
+marked by difficulty of style or expression
+difficult to find
+not famous or acclaimed
+not drawing attention
+remote and separate physically or socially