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obscure
adjective as in not easily understood
Strongest matches
ambiguous, arcane, complicated, confusing, cryptic, enigmatic, esoteric, mysterious, vague
Weak matches
abstruse, clear as mud, dark, deep, doubtful, enigmatical, far-out, hazy, illegible, illogical, impenetrable, incomprehensible, inconceivable, incredible, indecisive, indefinite, indeterminate, indistinct, inexplicable, inscrutable, insoluble, intricate, opaque, recondite, unaccountable, unbelievable, unclear, undefined, unfathomable, unintelligible
adjective as in cloudy, shadowy
Strongest match
Weak matches
caliginous, dark, dense, dusky, fuliginous, gloomy, indistinct, lightless, shady, somber, tenebrous, umbrageous, unilluminated, unlit
adjective as in out-of-the-way, little-known
Strongest matches
arcane, cryptic, distant, enigmatic, esoteric, humble, inaccessible, irrelevant, minor, mysterious, odd, rare, remote, secluded, secretive, undisclosed, undistinguished, unknown
Weak matches
abstruse, cabalistic, dark, deep, devious, far, far-off, inconspicuous, inglorious, invisible, lonesome, lowly, nameless, oracular, orphic, recondite, reticent, secret, seldom seen, solitary, unheard-of, unhonored, unimportant, unnoted, unseen, unsung
verb as in conceal, hide
Strongest matches
belie, blind, block out, blur, camouflage, cloud, confuse, cover, cover up, darken, dim, disguise, eclipse, mask, misrepresent, muddy, overshadow, shroud, veil
Strong matches
adumbrate, becloud, bedim, befog, blear, block, cloak, con, equivocate, falsify, fog, gray, haze, mist, murk, obfuscate, overcast, overcloud, pettifog, screen, shade, shadow, stonewall, wrap
Weak matches
cloud the issue, double-talk, fuzz, gloom, muddy the waters, throw up smoke screen
Example Sentences
For academic ratings, the state uses an obscure system called “distance from standard,” which averages all test scores and compares that number to a figure that represents “meeting the standard.”
The opposition had baptised him "deputy Jesus", accusing him of using Christianity to gain political capital as he attended church services from Catholic masses to the gatherings of obscure sects.
And as the idea has transformed from an obscure finding in the demography literature to a massive business venture, a once-productive collaboration between its originators has turned sour.
Many researchers say interesting interactions were increasingly obscured by misinformation and hate.
Campaign group the Molly Rose Foundation welcomed what it called an "important marker for Ofcom to be bolder" but said that should not obscure the fact that the OSA needed to be strengthened.
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From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
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