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obscurity

   Also found in: Legal, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
ob·scu·ri·ty  (b-skyr-t, b-)
n. pl. ob·scu·ri·ties
1. Deficiency or absence of light; darkness.
2.
a. The quality or condition of being unknown: "Even utter obscurity need not be an obstacle to [political] success" (New Republic).
b. One that is unknown.
3.
a. The quality or condition of being imperfectly known or difficult to understand: "writings meant to be understood . . . by all, composed without deliberate obscurity or hidden motives" (National Review).
b. An instance of being imperfectly known or difficult to understand.

obscurity [əbˈskjʊərɪtɪ]
n pl -ties
1. the state or quality of being obscure
2. an obscure person or thing
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.obscurityobscurity - the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand
incomprehensibility - the quality of being incomprehensible
clarity, clearness, limpidity, lucidity, lucidness, pellucidity - free from obscurity and easy to understand; the comprehensibility of clear expression
2.obscurity - an obscure and unimportant standing; not well known; "he worked in obscurity for many years"
standing - social or financial or professional status or reputation; "of equal standing"; "a member in good standing"
anonymity, namelessness - the state of being anonymous
humbleness, lowliness, obscureness, unimportance - the state of being humble and unimportant
nowhere - an insignificant place; "he came out of nowhere"
limbo, oblivion - the state of being disregarded or forgotten
prominence - the state of being prominent: widely known or eminent
3.obscurity - the state of being indistinct or indefinite for lack of adequate illumination
semidarkness - partial darkness

obscurity
noun
1. insignificance, oblivion, unimportance, non-recognition, inconsequence, lowliness, inconspicuousness, namelessness, ingloriousness His later life was spent in obscurity and loneliness.
3. enigma, mystery, puzzle, problem, difficulty, complexity, riddle, conundrum Whatever its obscurities, the poem was clear on one count.
4. darkness, dark, shadows, shade, gloom, haze, blackness, murk, dimness, murkiness, haziness, duskiness, shadiness, shadowiness, indistinctness the vast branches vanished into deep indigo obscurity above my head
Translations
obscurity [əbˈskjʊərɪtɪ] N
1. (= the unknown) → oscuridad f
to live in obscurityvivir en la oscuridad
she rose from obscurity to be a leading name in fashionsalió de la nada para llegar a ser un nombre destacado del mundo de la moda
the band faded into obscurityel grupo cayó en el olvido
2. (= complexity) [of language, idea] → oscuridad f
obscurities (in a book) → puntos mpl oscuros
3. (liter) (= darkness) → oscuridad f
obscurity [əbˈskjʊərəti] n
[unknown person, thing] → obscurité f
[reply, statement] → caractère m obscur
obscurity
n
no pl (of a wood, night)Dunkelheit f, → Finsternis f, → Dunkel nt
(of style, ideas, argument)Unklarheit f, → Unverständlichkeit f, → Verworrenheit f; to lapse into obscurityverworren or unklar werden; he threw some light on the obscurities of the texter erhellte einige der unklaren Textstellen
no pl (of birth, origins)Dunkel nt; to live in obscurityzurückgezogen leben; to rise from obscurityaus dem Nichts auftauchen; in spite of the obscurity of his originstrotz seiner unbekannten Herkunft; to sink into obscurityin Vergessenheit geraten
obscurity [əbˈskjʊərɪtɪ] n (also) (fig) → oscurità f inv
obscurity [əbˈskjʊərɪtɪ] n (also) (fig) → oscurità f inv


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
A still greater obscurity lies in the distinctive characters by which the objects in each of these great departments of nature have been arranged and assorted.
AN Old Politician and a Young Politician were travelling through a beautiful country, by the dusty highway which leads to the City of Prosperous Obscurity.
It shook with his measured breath, as he gave out the psalm; it threw its obscurity between him and the holy page, as he read the Scriptures; and while he prayed, the veil lay heavily on his uplifted countenance.
 
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