May I ask a few more questions about that point? It's a little obscure.
Source: tatoeba (35180)
Obscure
/əbˈskjʊə(ɹ)/
Synonyms for "obscure" (695 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (139)
Adjective(12 words)
abstruseadiaphanousadumbratealeatoricaleatoryambiguousamorphicamorphousamphibologicalanarchicanonymousapplyapply toarcanearound the bushback of beyondbafflingbaggybandagebeamless
Show 67 more words
beat aboutbeat around the bushbecloudbecloudedbedarkenbedazzlebedimbefogbefoggedbeg the questionbegloombeliebemistbenightbeyond onebickerblackblack as nightblack outblackenblanketblearblearedblearyblindblind the eyesblindfoldblobbyblockblock the lightblotblot outblow hot and coldbluntblurblurredblurrybogglebroadbrownburiedburycaliginouscamouflagecanopycast a shadowcavilchancechancychaoticcharacterlesschop logicchoplogiccimmerianclabber upclear as mudcloakcloseclothecloudcloud overcloud upcloudedcloudycolorlesscomplexcomplicate
Noun(23 words)
addlingambiguous meaningambiguous verbanonymisingasterisksbackgroundingbamboozlingbefoggingblankingblindfoldingblindingblindsblotblurringblursburial-action contextburkscamouflagescloaksclouding
Show 3 more words
Verb(17 words)
Strong matches (209)
complicatedconcealconcealedconditionalconfuseconfusedconfusingcopecorruptcovercover upcoveredcovertcowlcrabbedcrampcrypticcurtaindarkdark as night
Show 118 more words
dark as pitchdarkendarken overdarklingdarksomedazedazzledead of nightdeepdeformdeprive of sightdeviousdifficultdimdim outdisguisedismaldisorderdisordereddisorderlydissembledistantdistortdistract attention fromdodgedouble-edgeddouble-faceddoubtfuldubiousdulldunduskduskyebonebonyeclipseeclipsedencloudencompass with shadowenigmaticenmistensconceenshroudenvelopequivocalequivocateerebusesotericevadeevade the issueexcecateextinguishfaintfalsifyfarfar-offfeaturelessfeeblefencefilmfilmyfinefogfog upfoggyforeignformlessfuliginousfuzzfuzzygarblegarbledgeneralglaregloomgloomygloss overgougegrumlyhalf-seenhalf-visiblehardhard to understandhazehazyhedgehidhiddenhidehit-or-misshoodhoodwinkhumbleignotusill-definedillegibleimperceptibleimpervious to lightimprecisein a cloudin a fogin eclipsein purdahin the wingsinaccessibleinaccurateinchoateincoherentincommunicadoincomprehensibleinconclusiveinconsequentialinconspicuousindecisiveindefinableindefiniteindeterminableindeterminate
Verb(24 words)
Adjective(29 words)
concealconcealedconfusecrypticcryptic statementcultural obscuritydarkdense crowd pushdense fogdense massdense prosedense trafficdisguiseddownplayenshroudedfalse wordingfogboundfoggierfuddledfuscous
Show 9 more words
haziesthidden figurehidden roomhidehieroglyphic writingill defined taskillusiveindecipherableindiscernible
Noun(18 words)
conceal detailsdarkeningdense drill rowsdense styledifficult decisiondifficult to learneclipseseclipsingenshroudingextremely difficultfogsfuzzifyingfuzzinggarblinggnarlhazeshazinghieroglyphic
Related words (347)
indistinctindistinguishableinexactinexplicableinformingloriousinscrutableinsignificantintangibleintransparentintricateironicjumblejumbledkaleidoscopickeep fromkeep under coverknottylatentlax
Show 210 more words
lay onlay overlightlittle knownlonesomelooselow profilelow-profilelowlylumpenmake blindmake uncertainmake unintelligiblemantlemaskmeanmerely glimpsedmess upminormisadvisemisdirectmiseducatemisguidemisinformmisinstructmisleadmisrepresentmistmisteachmistymuddlemuddymufflemurkmurkymysteriousmysticmysticalmystifymystifyingnamelessnebulousnightnight-blacknight-cladnight-cloakednight-darknight-enshroudednight-fillednight-mantlednight-veilednitpickno credit tonondescriptnonspecificnubilatenubilousobduceobfuscateobfuscatedobnubilateobscuredobscurityobumbrateoccultoccultateoccultedoddopaqueorderlessout of focusout-of-the-wayovercastovercloudoverlayovershadowoversmokeoverspreadovertechnicalpalepalterparryperplexedperplexingpervertpick nitspitch blackpitch-blackpitch-darkpitchyprevaricateprofoundpussyfootput onpuzzlingquestionablequibblerandomraylessreconditeremoteremovedrenownlessretiredroiledroilyscramblescrambledscreenscumsecludedseclusesecretsemivisiblesequesteredshadeshadowshadowed forthshadowyshadyshapelessshieldshiftshroudshuffleshysidestepslur oversmogsmokesnow-blindsolitarysombersplit hairsspread overstarlessstochasticstrangestrike blindsubfuscsubmergesubtlesunlesssuperimposesuperposeswarthinesssweepingtenebrioustenebrosetenebroustergiversatethicktoughtranscendentturbidtwilightulteriorumbralunambiguousuncelebrateduncertainunclearundefinedunder an eclipseunder coverunder house arrestunder wrapsundercoverundergroundundestinedundeterminedundistinguishedunemotionalunemphaticunfamedunfamiliarunfathomableunformunglorifiedunheard ofunheard-ofunhonoredunilluminatedunimportantunintelligibleunknownunlightedunlitunnamedunnotableunnotedunnoticeableunnoticedunorderedunorganizedunplainunpopularunrecognizableunremarkedunrenownedunshapeunspecifiedunsungvaguevarnishveilveiledweakwhitewashwrapped in clouds
Adjective(50 words)
indistinct soundinkiestinkyinvisible featureisolatedjargon-filledminimizemirkymistiestmuddiestmuddymurkiestobtusestopaquestrhetorical ambiguitysemidarkshadowiershroudedsibyllicsmoggy
Show 30 more words
smokiestsmokysubtlesubtlestthickeruncelebrated holidayunclearunclear criteriaunclear dataunclear diagramunclear dictionunclear sequenceunclear speechunclear stepsunclear vowelsunclear writingunclearerunclearestuncommon organismundepictedunfamiliarunknown notationunlistedunnoticeableunnoticedunreadunseenunsungvaguevaguer
Verb(22 words)
Noun(44 words)
lanthanonmacklemalabomasksmirror foggingmisphrasesmiswordmiswordingmiswritemore ambiguousmore concealedmore hidden enclavemore obscuremore secretmore uncelebratedmore unclearmost unclearmuddlesmuddlingmurks
Show 24 more words
nebnobfuscatingopaquingovercastingovercastsovershadowingpallpartially redactedprocess fault concealmentriddlingsamarscramblesscumblingsepulcheringshadingshadowsshieldsshroudingsplodgetrablousunclear soundsunclearly statedveilingveils
Adverb(1 words)
most glorious revolutions
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: hidden, unknown, abstruse, academic language chaos, addling.
- Sentence evidence is available for obscure, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "obscure".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "obscure"
Keep "obscure" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "obscure" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "obscure", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "obscure" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
15 entriesMore specific
16 entriesCollocations
10 entriesobscure a detailobscure a factobscure cornerobscure factobscure languageobscure meaningobscure referenceobscure the meaningobscure the truthobscure the view
Inflections
5 entriesDerivations
6 entriessimilar
12 entriesSample sentences
27 total sentences available.
The meaning of this sentence is obscure.
Source: tatoeba (44123)
Modern poetry is often most obscure.
Source: tatoeba (239635)
The meaning is still obscure to me.
Source: tatoeba (249809)
Showing 4 of 27 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "obscure"?
Closest matches include hidden, unknown, abstruse, academic language chaos, addling.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "obscure"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.