obscure definition

1. make less visible or unclear
• examples: The stars are obscured by the clouds
• examples: the big elm tree obscures our view of the valley
2. make obscure or unclear
• examples: The distinction was obscured
3. reduce a vowel to a neutral one, such as a schwa
4. make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing
• examples: a hidden message
• examples: a veiled threat
5. not clearly understood or expressed; ; -Anatole Broyard; - P.A.Sorokin; - John Locke
• examples: an obscure turn of phrase
• examples: an impulse to go off and fight certain obscure battles of his own spirit
• examples: their descriptions of human behavior become vague, dull, and unclear
• examples: vague...forms of speech...have so long passed for mysteries of science
6. not famous or acclaimed
• examples: an obscure family
• examples: unsung heroes of the war
7. not drawing attention
• examples: an unnoticeable cigarette burn on the carpet
• examples: an obscure flaw