释义 |
obscure
ob·scure O0013300 (ŏb-skyo͝or′, əb-)adj. ob·scur·er, ob·scur·est 1. Deficient in light; dark: the obscure depths of a cave.2. a. So faintly perceptible as to lack clear delineation; indistinct: an obscure figure in the fog.b. Indistinctly heard; faint.c. Linguistics Having the reduced, neutral sound represented by schwa (ə).3. a. Far from centers of human population: an obscure village.b. Out of sight; hidden: an obscure retreat.4. Not readily noticed or seen; inconspicuous: an obscure flaw.5. Of undistinguished or humble station or reputation: an obscure poet; an obscure family.6. Not clearly understood or expressed; ambiguous or vague: Some say that Blake's style is obscure and complex. See Synonyms at ambiguous.tr.v. ob·scured, ob·scur·ing, ob·scures 1. To make dim, indistinct, or impossible to see: "His face was obscured in shadow" (Rosemary Mahoney). See Synonyms at block.2. To make difficult to discern mentally or understand: The meaning of the text was obscured by its difficult language.3. To diminish the stature of; overshadow or detract from: "[His] character was so repellent that it has obscured his historical role" (David Rains Wallace).4. Linguistics To reduce (a vowel) to the neutral sound represented by schwa (ə).n. Something obscure or unknown. [Middle English, from Old French obscur, from Latin obscūrus; see (s)keu- in Indo-European roots.] ob·scure′ly adv.ob·scure′ness n.obscure (əbˈskjʊə) adj1. unclear or abstruse2. indistinct, vague, or indefinite3. inconspicuous or unimportant4. hidden, secret, or remote5. (Phonetics & Phonology) (of a vowel) reduced to or transformed into a neutral vowel (ə)6. gloomy, dark, clouded, or dimvb (tr) 7. to make unclear, vague, or hidden8. to cover or cloud over9. (Phonetics & Phonology) phonetics to pronounce (a vowel) with articulation that causes it to become a neutral sound represented by (ə)n a rare word for obscurity[C14: via Old French from Latin obscūrus dark] obscuration n obˈscurely adv obˈscureness nob•scure (əbˈskyʊər) adj. -scur•er, -scur•est, adj. 1. (of meaning) not clear or plain; ambiguous, vague, or uncertain. 2. not clear to the understanding; hard to perceive: obscure motives. 3. (of language, style, a speaker, etc.) not expressing the meaning clearly or plainly. 4. not readily seen, heard, etc.; indistinct; faint. 5. inconspicuous or unnoticeable: the obscure beginnings of a movement. 6. of little or no prominence or distinction; unknown: an obscure artist. 7. far from public notice or activity; remote: an obscure little town. 8. lacking in light or illumination; dark; dim; murky. 9. enveloped in or concealed by darkness. 10. (of a vowel) having the reduced or neutral sound usu. represented by the schwa (ə). v.t. 11. to conceal or confuse (meaning, intention, or the like); cover; mask. 12. to make dark, dim, indistinct, etc. 13. to reduce or neutralize (a vowel) to the sound usu. represented by a schwa (ə). n. 14. obscurity. [1400–50; late Middle English < Old French oscur, obscur < Latin obscūrus dark] ob•scure′ly, adv. ob•scure′ness, n. syn: See mysterious. obscure Past participle: obscured Gerund: obscuring
Present |
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I obscure | you obscure | he/she/it obscures | we obscure | you obscure | they obscure |
Preterite |
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I obscured | you obscured | he/she/it obscured | we obscured | you obscured | they obscured |
Present Continuous |
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I am obscuring | you are obscuring | he/she/it is obscuring | we are obscuring | you are obscuring | they are obscuring |
Present Perfect |
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I have obscured | you have obscured | he/she/it has obscured | we have obscured | you have obscured | they have obscured |
Past Continuous |
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I was obscuring | you were obscuring | he/she/it was obscuring | we were obscuring | you were obscuring | they were obscuring |
Past Perfect |
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I had obscured | you had obscured | he/she/it had obscured | we had obscured | you had obscured | they had obscured |
Future |
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I will obscure | you will obscure | he/she/it will obscure | we will obscure | you will obscure | they will obscure |
Future Perfect |
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I will have obscured | you will have obscured | he/she/it will have obscured | we will have obscured | you will have obscured | they will have obscured |
Future Continuous |
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I will be obscuring | you will be obscuring | he/she/it will be obscuring | we will be obscuring | you will be obscuring | they will be obscuring |
Present Perfect Continuous |
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I have been obscuring | you have been obscuring | he/she/it has been obscuring | we have been obscuring | you have been obscuring | they have been obscuring |
Future Perfect Continuous |
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I will have been obscuring | you will have been obscuring | he/she/it will have been obscuring | we will have been obscuring | you will have been obscuring | they will have been obscuring |
Past Perfect Continuous |
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I had been obscuring | you had been obscuring | he/she/it had been obscuring | we had been obscuring | you had been obscuring | they had been obscuring |
Conditional |
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I would obscure | you would obscure | he/she/it would obscure | we would obscure | you would obscure | they would obscure |
Past Conditional |
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I would have obscured | you would have obscured | he/she/it would have obscured | we would have obscured | you would have obscured | they would have obscured | ThesaurusVerb | 1. | obscure - make less visible or unclear; "The stars are obscured by the clouds"; "the big elm tree obscures our view of the valley"becloud, befog, fog, haze over, obnubilate, mist, cloudconceal, hide - prevent from being seen or discovered; "Muslim women hide their faces"; "hide the money"overshadow - cast a shadow upon; "The tall tree overshadowed the house" | | 2. | obscure - make unclear, indistinct, or blurred; "Her remarks confused the debate"; "Their words obnubilate their intentions"obnubilate, blur, confusealter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"confuse, confound - mistake one thing for another; "you are confusing me with the other candidate"; "I mistook her for the secretary"muddy - cause to become muddy; "These data would have muddied the prediction" | | 3. | obscure - make obscure or unclear; "The distinction was obscured"bedim, overcloudalter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" | | 4. | obscure - reduce a vowel to a neutral one, such as a schwalinguistics - the scientific study of languagereduce - destress and thus weaken a sound when pronouncing it | | 5. | obscure - make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing; "a hidden message"; "a veiled threat"blot out, obliterate, veil, hidealter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"efface, obliterate - remove completely from recognition or memory; "efface the memory of the time in the camps"mystify - make mysterious; "mystify the story" | Adj. | 1. | obscure - not clearly understood or expressed; "an obscure turn of phrase"; "an impulse to go off and fight certain obscure battles of his own spirit"-Anatole Broyard; "their descriptions of human behavior become vague, dull, and unclear"- P.A.Sorokin; "vague...forms of speech...have so long passed for mysteries of science"- John Lockevagueunclear - not clear to the mind; "the law itself was unclear on that point"; "the reason for their actions is unclear to this day" | | 2. | obscure - marked by difficulty of style or expression; "much that was dark is now quite clear to me"; "those who do not appreciate Kafka's work say his style is obscure"darkuncomprehensible, incomprehensible - difficult to understand; "the most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible"- A. Einstein | | 3. | obscure - difficult to find; "hidden valleys"; "a hidden cave"; "an obscure retreat"hiddenconcealed - hidden on any grounds for any motive; "a concealed weapon"; "a concealed compartment in his briefcase" | | 4. | obscure - not famous or acclaimed; "an obscure family"; "unsung heroes of the war"unsung, unknowninglorious - not bringing honor and glory; "some mute inglorious Milton here may rest" | | 5. | obscure - not drawing attention; "an unnoticeable cigarette burn on the carpet"; "an obscure flaw"unnoticeableinconspicuous, invisible - not prominent or readily noticeable; "he pushed the string through an inconspicuous hole"; "the invisible man" | | 6. | obscure - remote and separate physically or socially; "existed over the centuries as a world apart"; "preserved because they inhabited a place apart"- W.H.Hudson; "tiny isolated villages remote from centers of civilization"; "an obscure village"apart, isolatedunconnected - not joined or linked together |
obscureadjective1. unknown, minor, little-known, humble, unfamiliar, out-of-the-way, unseen, lowly, unimportant, unheard-of, unsung, nameless, undistinguished, inconspicuous, unnoted, unhonoured, unrenowned The hymn was written by an obscure Greek composer. unknown major, important, famous, significant, celebrated, familiar, distinguished, well-known, prominent, renowned, eminent, illustrious, widely-known2. abstruse, involved, complex, confusing, puzzling, subtle, mysterious, deep, vague, unclear, doubtful, mystical, intricate, ambiguous, enigmatic, esoteric, perplexing, occult, opaque, incomprehensible, arcane, cryptic, unfathomable, recondite, clear as mud (informal) The contract is written in obscure language. abstruse clear, obvious, plain, simple, apparent, evident, distinct, straightforward, explicit, definite, manifest, transparent, unmistakable, lucid, intelligible3. unclear, hidden, uncertain, confused, mysterious, concealed, doubtful, indefinite, indeterminate The word is of obscure origin. unclear well-known4. indistinct, vague, blurred, dark, clouded, faint, dim, gloomy, veiled, murky, fuzzy, shadowy, cloudy, misty, hazy, indistinguishable, indeterminate, dusky, undefined, out of focus, ill-defined, obfuscated, indiscernible, tenebrous The hills were just an obscure shape in the mist. indistinct clear, sharp, distinct, well-definedverb1. obstruct, hinder, block out Trees obscured his vision.2. hide, cover (up), screen, mask, disguise, conceal, veil, cloak, shroud, camouflage, envelop, encase, enshroud The building is almost completely obscured by a huge banner. hide show, reveal, expose, unveil, uncover, unmask3. obfuscate, confuse, cloud, blur, muddy, darken, muddy the waters of, adumbrate, befog, throw a veil over, bedim the jargon that frequently obscures legal documents obfuscate explain, clarify, interpret, disclose, explicateobscureadjective1. Deficient in brightness:caliginous, dark, dim, dusky, murky.2. Not clearly perceived or perceptible:blear, bleary, cloudy, dim, faint, foggy, fuzzy, hazy, indefinite, indistinct, misty, shadowy, unclear, undistinct, vague.3. Far from centers of human population:back, insular, isolated, lonely, lonesome, outlying, out-of-the-way, remote, removed, secluded, solitary.Idiom: off the beaten path.4. Not readily noticed or seen:inconspicuous, unconspicuous, unnoticeable, unobtrusive.Idiom: having a low profile.5. Not known or not widely known by name:nameless, unheard-of, unknown.6. Liable to more than one interpretation:ambiguous, cloudy, equivocal, inexplicit, nebulous, uncertain, unclear, vague.verb1. To make dim or indistinct:becloud, bedim, befog, blear, blur, cloud, dim, dull, eclipse, fog, gloom, mist, obfuscate, overcast, overshadow, shadow.2. To conceal in obscurity:hide, submerge.3. To cut off from sight:block (out), conceal, hide, obstruct, screen, shroud, shut off (or out).Translationsobscure (əbˈskjuə) adjective1. not clear; difficult to see. an obscure corner of the library. 暗的,朦朧的 暗的,朦胧的 2. not well-known. an obscure author. 不出名的 不引人注目的3. difficult to understand. an obscure poem. 難解的 难解的 verb to make obscure. A large tree obscured the view. 遮掩,使不明顯 遮掩,使不明显 obˈscurely adverb 遮掩 遮掩,暗地地,朦胧地,难解地 obˈscurity noun 遮掩 朦胧,不明,费解,隐晦 OBSCURE
OBSCURE"A Formal Description of the Specification Language OBSCURE",J. Loeckx, TR A85/15, U Saarlandes, Saarbrucken, 1985.obscure
obscure (ŏb-skūr′) [L. obscurus, hide] 1. Hidden, indistinct, as the cause of a condition.2. To make less distinct or to hide.AcronymsSeeobsceneobscure
Synonyms for obscureadj deficient in brightnessSynonyms- caliginous
- dark
- dim
- dusky
- murky
adj not clearly perceived or perceptibleSynonyms- blear
- bleary
- cloudy
- dim
- faint
- foggy
- fuzzy
- hazy
- indefinite
- indistinct
- misty
- shadowy
- unclear
- undistinct
- vague
adj far from centers of human populationSynonyms- back
- insular
- isolated
- lonely
- lonesome
- outlying
- out-of-the-way
- remote
- removed
- secluded
- solitary
adj not readily noticed or seenSynonyms- inconspicuous
- unconspicuous
- unnoticeable
- unobtrusive
adj not known or not widely known by nameSynonyms- nameless
- unheard-of
- unknown
adj liable to more than one interpretationSynonyms- ambiguous
- cloudy
- equivocal
- inexplicit
- nebulous
- uncertain
- unclear
- vague
verb to make dim or indistinctSynonyms- becloud
- bedim
- befog
- blear
- blur
- cloud
- dim
- dull
- eclipse
- fog
- gloom
- mist
- obfuscate
- overcast
- overshadow
- shadow
verb to conceal in obscuritySynonymsverb to cut off from sightSynonyms- block
- conceal
- hide
- obstruct
- screen
- shroud
- shut off
Synonyms for obscureverb make less visible or unclearSynonyms- becloud
- befog
- fog
- haze over
- obnubilate
- mist
- cloud
Related Wordsverb make unclear, indistinct, or blurredSynonymsRelated Words- alter
- change
- modify
- confuse
- confound
- muddy
verb make obscure or unclearSynonymsRelated Wordsverb reduce a vowel to a neutral one, such as a schwaRelated Wordsverb make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealingSynonyms- blot out
- obliterate
- veil
- hide
Related Words- alter
- change
- modify
- efface
- obliterate
- mystify
adj not clearly understood or expressedSynonymsRelated Wordsadj marked by difficulty of style or expressionSynonymsRelated Words- uncomprehensible
- incomprehensible
adj difficult to findSynonymsRelated Wordsadj not famous or acclaimedSynonymsRelated Wordsadj not drawing attentionSynonymsRelated Wordsadj remote and separate physically or sociallySynonymsRelated Words |