obscurity C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /əbˈskjʊrɪti/ UK /əbˈskjʊərɪti/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun the state of being unknown, unimportant, or difficult to understand The poet died in obscurity, only to be celebrated a century later. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · the state of being unknown,... anonymityinsignificanceunimportanceambiguitydarknessvagueness ↔ Opposites fameprominenceclarityrenowncelebrity Word family Related forms obscureobscurelyobscurantism Etymology AI details From Old French obscurite, from Latin obscuritas ('darkness, indistinctness'), from obscurus ('dark, covered'). obscuritas Latin obscurus Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # obscurity **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /əbˈskjʊrɪti/ **IPA (UK):** /əbˈskjʊərɪti/ ## Meanings 1. the state of being unknown, unimportant, or difficult to understand ## Examples - The poet died in obscurity, only to be celebrated a century later. ## Synonyms - anonymity - insignificance - unimportance - ambiguity - darkness - vagueness ## Antonyms - fame - prominence - clarity - renown - celebrity ## Related Forms - obscure - obscurely - obscurantism ## Roots and Affixes - Root: obscuritas - Root: obscurus ## Etymology From Old French obscurite, from Latin obscuritas ('darkness, indistinctness'), from obscurus ('dark, covered'). ## AI Etymology Obscurity is from Old French obscurite, from Latin obscuritas ('darkness, indistinctness'), from obscurus ('dark, covered'). Important recorded forms include obscuritas (Latin) and obscurus (Latin). The modern sense follows that older lexical line closely. In current use it covers the state of being unknown, unimportant, or difficult to understand. The wider family includes related words such as obscure, obscurely, and obscurantism. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown