obscurity

English

Etymology

From Middle French obscurité, from Latin obscūritās; synchronically analyzable as obscure +‎ -ity

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əbˈskjʊəɹɪti/, /əbˈskjɔːɹɪti/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /əbˈskjʊɹɪti/, /əbˈskjɝɪti/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ob‧scur‧ity

Noun

obscurity (countable and uncountable, plural obscurities)

1. (literary) Darkness; the absence of light.
   • 1907, Harold Bindloss, chapter 6, in The Dust of Conflict:

     The night was considerably clearer than anybody on board her desired when the schooner Ventura headed for the land. It rose in places, black and sharp against the velvety indigo, over her dipping bow, though most of the low littoral was wrapped in obscurity.

   • 1919, W. Somerset Maugham, The Moon and Sixpence, ch. 24

     I walked in, and Stroeve followed me. The room was in darkness. I could only see that it was an attic, with a sloping roof; and a faint glimmer, no more than a less profound obscurity, came from a skylight.

2. The state of being unknown; a thing that is unknown.
   • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:

     The departure was not unduly prolonged. […] Within the door Mrs. Spoker hastily imparted to Mrs. Love a few final sentiments […] ; a deep, guttural instigation to the horse; and the wheels of the waggonette crunched heavily away into obscurity.

3. The quality of being difficult to understand; a thing that is difficult to understand.

Synonyms

• (the state of being unknown): unknownness

Antonyms

• (the state of being known): fame
• (the state of being clear): clarity

Related terms

• obscure

Translations

darkness; the absence of light

• Asturian: escuridá (ast) f
• Bulgarian: тъмнина (bg) f (tǎmnina), мрак (bg) m (mrak)
• French: obscurité (fr) f
• Greek: σκότος (el) n (skótos), σκοτεινότητα (el) f (skoteinótita)
• Italian: oscurità (it) f
• Japanese: 闇 (ja) (yami), 暗黒 (ja) (ankoku)

• Polish: mrok (pl) m, ciemność (pl) f
• Portuguese: obscuridade (pt) f
• Romanian: obscuritate (ro) f
• Russian: мрак (ru) m (mrak), темнота́ (ru) f (temnotá), тьма (ru) f (tʹma)
• Spanish: oscuridad (es) f

The state of being unknown; a thing that is unknown

• Bulgarian: неизвестност (bg) f (neizvestnost)
• Greek: αφάνεια (el) f (afáneia), ασημότητα (el) f (asimótita), ταπεινότητα (el) f (tapeinótita)

  Ancient: ἀφάνεια f (apháneia)

• Irish: ^{(please verify)} anaithne f, aduaine f

• Japanese: 無名 (ja) (mumei)
• Russian: неизве́стность (ru) f (neizvéstnostʹ), безве́стность (ru) f (bezvéstnostʹ)

The quality of being difficult to understand; a thing that is difficult to understand

• Arabic: إِبْهَام‎ (ar) m (ʾibhām)
• Bulgarian: неразбираемост (bg) f (nerazbiraemost)
• Greek: ασάφεια (el) f (asáfeia), θολότητα (el) f (tholótita)

  Ancient: ἀμαυρότης f (amaurótēs)

• Irish: ^{(please verify)} anaithne f, aduaine f

• Latin: obscūritās f
• Russian: нея́сность (ru) f (nejásnostʹ)