obscurity

[uhb-skyoor-i-tee]

noun

plural

obscurities 

1. the state or quality of being obscure.

2. the condition of being unknown.

   He lived in obscurity for years before winning acclaim.

3. uncertainty of meaning or expression; ambiguity.

4. an unknown or unimportant person or thing.

5. darkness; dimness; indistinctness.

obscurity

/ əbˈskjʊərɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being obscure

2. an obscure person or thing

Other Word Forms

• nonobscurity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of obscurity¹

1470–80; late Middle English < Middle French obscurite < Latin obscūritās, equivalent to obscūr ( us ) obscure + -itās -ity

Example Sentences

The 31-year-old is continuing her exciting progress in her first season as a full-time athlete, having left her job in cybersecurity after completing a spectacular rise from obscurity to the Olympic podium last year.

From BBC

The committee Lyons will face has grown from relative obscurity to one of the most rattling in the wake of U.S. campus protests over the Oct.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr Nixon's son inherited the painting after his death, and it then fell "into obscurity", having last been exhibited in Tasmania, Australia.

From BBC

Reverend Nixon's son inherited the painting after his death, Mr Gascoigne said, adding it then fell "into obscurity" having last been exhibited in Tasmania, Australia, in 1858.

From BBC

An Altadena ego death, where the community fades into suburban sprawl obscurity.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• darkness