Word: obscure (adjective)

Associations

The word "obscure" describes something that is not well known, difficult to understand or unclear.

• The meaning of the poem is quite obscure. This means that the poem's meaning isn't clear or easy to understand.
• He made an obscure reference to an old movie. Here, it indicates that the reference is not commonly known and might confuse many people.
• The facts about the event were obscure and hard to find. This suggests that the information is not easily available or recognized.

A well-known synonym for "obscure" is "unknown." However, "obscure" often emphasizes the complexity or difficulty in understanding, while "unknown" simply indicates that something is not known by the person.

Substitution

If you want to replace "obscure," you might use:

• "unclear," which means something is not easily understood, often related to explanations or statements.
• "hidden," which indicates something that is not visible or not easily discovered.
• "ambiguous," which refers to something that can have multiple interpretations or meanings.

Deconstruction

The word "obscure" comes from the Latin word "obscurus," meaning "dark" or "dim." It has the root "scur," which relates to darkness. The prefix "ob-" means "over" or "against."

Understanding this origin can help in knowing that "obscure" often relates to things that are not illuminated either literally (like light) or figuratively (like clarity in thought or understanding).

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when you found something obscure? What was it, and why was it hard to understand?
• Have you ever made an obscure comment that others didn’t get? What happened in that situation?
• Why might someone choose to use obscure language or references in conversation? What effect does it have?