Obscurant
/ɒbˈskjʊəɹənt/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One who acts to confound or obfuscate; an obscurantist.
- 2 A person who seeks to prevent or hinder enquiry and the advancement of knowledge or wisdom; an agent of endarkenment.
- 3 An opposer of lucidity and transparency in the political and intellectual spheres.
Adjective
- 1 Acting or tending to confound, obfuscate, or obscure.
- 2 Typical of or pertaining to obscurants; obscurantic; obscurantistic.
Etymology
Entering English circa 1793–1799: From German Obskurant and French obscurant, from classical Latin obscūrant-, stem of obscūrāns, present participle of obscūrāre (“to obscure”), from obscūrus (“dark”).