obscurity
gb/əbskjˈʊɹəti/ us/əbskjˈʊɹəti/
B2
Inglés
~ 6800
Acepciones
0 acepciones
Sustantivo
B2
state
1
state of being little-known
A state where almost nobody knows who someone is or what something is.
Patrón de uso:
[someone] lives/dies in obscurity
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes confuse 'obscurity' (noun) with 'obscure' (adjective) and say *'he is obscurity'* instead of 'he is obscure' or 'he lives in obscurity'. Another mistake is using it for physical darkness, where 'darkness' is more common in everyday speech.
Sinónimos
anonymity (Focuses on having no public identity; often used when a person is not known by name.)
|
unimportance (Adds a value judgment that someone or something is not important, not just unknown.)
|
insignificance (Stronger than 'unimportance', suggests being so small or unimportant that no one notices.)
Antónimos
fame (Direct opposite: being widely known and talked about by many people.)
|
prominence (Opposite in the sense of being easily seen or noticed and important in public life.)
Colocaciones
live in obscurity
|die in obscurity
|relative obscurity
|total obscurity
|from obscurity
|sink into obscurity
Temas
society
|fame
|media
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- After years of working in obscurity, her first novel finally made her a bestselling author.
- Many talented scientists remain in obscurity because their work is never publicized.
- The band rose from obscurity to international success in just two years.
- He died in obscurity, his paintings discovered only long after his death.
- Without strong marketing, even good products can quickly sink back into obscurity.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The actor lived in obscurity before the big movie made him famous.
- She worked in obscurity for many years in a small lab.
- The singer came out of obscurity when her song went viral.
- If nobody talks about your work, it will stay in obscurity.
- He was a writer, but he died in obscurity.
Sustantivo
C1
state
2
state of being hard to understand
The fact that something is not clear and is hard to understand.
Patrón de uso:
the obscurity of [something]
Error frecuente:
Learners may mix this sense with the 'unknown' meaning and say things like *'the book lives in obscurity'* when they mean the book is hard to understand. Use this sense when something is confusing or unclear, not when it is simply not famous.
Sinónimos
unclearness (More informal and direct, but slightly less common in careful written English.)
|
opacity (More formal and technical; often used about writing or arguments that are hard to understand.)
|
ambiguity (Focuses on having more than one possible meaning, not just being complex or confusing.)
Antónimos
clarity (Direct opposite, stressing that something is easy to see, read, or understand.)
|
transparency (Opposite in the sense that the meaning or process is open and easy to understand.)
Colocaciones
the obscurity of the text
|needless obscurity
|linguistic obscurity
|legal obscurity
|add to the obscurity
|obscurity of meaning
Temas
language
|thinking
|education
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- The obscurity of the contract language made it difficult for non-lawyers to know what they were signing.
- Some academic writing is criticized for its needless obscurity.
- The professor tried to remove the obscurity from the theory by giving simple examples.
- Translators struggled with the obscurity of several passages in the original manuscript.
- Obscurity in official guidelines can lead to confusion and mistakes.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The obscurity of the rules confused many students.
- He blamed the obscurity of the text for his low test score.
- The teacher tried to reduce the obscurity of the lesson.
- Because of its obscurity, the message was not clear.
- We talked about the obscurity of some legal words.
Sustantivo
formal
C1
entity
3
unclear detail or passage
A specific part of something, like a text or fact, that is hard to understand.
Patrón de uso:
[someone] explains an obscurity in [something]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes use 'obscurity' only as an uncountable noun. Remember that in formal or academic English, it can be countable when referring to specific unclear details, as in 'several obscurities in the text'.
Sinónimos
puzzle (More general and less formal; suggests something that makes you think to find an answer.)
|
riddle (Suggests something mysterious or intentionally difficult to understand, often playful.)
Antónimos
clarification (Opposite because it is an explanation that removes the confusion caused by the obscurity.)
|
explanation (Opposite in that it makes a confusing detail understandable.)
Colocaciones
textual obscurities
|Biblical obscurities
|explain this obscurity
|clarify an obscurity
|minor obscurities
|linguistic obscurities
Temas
language
|literature
|education
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- The footnotes help the reader with various obscurities in the original poem.
- Scholars still debate several obscurities in the ancient text.
- Her article patiently untangles some of the main obscurities in the theory.
- The lecturer addressed two major obscurities in the previous chapter.
- Students asked the teacher to explain a few remaining obscurities in the lecture notes.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- This chapter has many obscurities for me.
- The teacher tried to explain the obscurities in the story.
- Footnotes can help you understand some obscurities in the text.
- He wrote an article about the obscurities in the old law.
- We talked about a few obscurities in the poem.
Sustantivo
literary
C1
state
4
state of darkness or dimness
A state where there is very little light and you cannot see clearly.
Patrón de uso:
[something] disappears into obscurity
Error frecuente:
Learners may try to use this sense in everyday situations where 'darkness' is more natural, for example *'We watched TV in obscurity'* instead of 'in the dark'. This meaning is mainly used in literary or descriptive writing.
Sinónimos
darkness (Common everyday word; less literary or atmospheric than 'obscurity'.)
|
gloom (Adds a feeling of sadness or heaviness as well as low light.)
Antónimos
light (Basic opposite: the presence of light that allows you to see.)
|
brightness (Opposite in degree, emphasizing strong light rather than dimness.)
Colocaciones
in the obscurity
|half in obscurity
|deep obscurity
|sink into obscurity
|shapes in the obscurity
|out of the obscurity
Temas
nature
|literature
|weather
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- Shapes moved in the obscurity at the edge of the forest path.
- A single candle broke the obscurity of the small stone room.
- The moonlight slowly lifted the obscurity from the valley.
- They waited in near total obscurity until dawn.
- Her face remained in obscurity while the window behind her blazed with light.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- We walked in almost complete obscurity under the trees.
- A weak lamp tried to fight the obscurity of the room.
- I could only see his eyes shining in the obscurity.
- The cat disappeared into the obscurity of the garden.
- The sun came up and ended the obscurity.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
obscurity
AFI
GB/əbskjˈʊɹəti/
US/əbskjˈʊɹəti/
Sílabas y acento
ob - scur - ity (3 sílabas)
Stress on 2nd syllable (scur)
Formas de la palabra
Noun
- Base: obscurity
- Plural: obscurities, obscurity
Familia de palabras
Expresiones
consign to obscurity
1/kənsˈaɪn tə əbskjˈʊɹəti/
fixed phrase
formal
send something into lasting obscurity
To make someone or something stay unknown and not talked about.
Ejemplos
- Poor distribution consigned the film to obscurity.
- The new technology may consign older methods to obscurity.
- Lack of funding consigned many important studies to obscurity.
die in obscurity
1/dˈaɪ ˈɪn əbskjˈʊɹəti/
fixed phrase
die without public recognition
To die without having become well known or recognized by the public.
Ejemplos
- The composer died in obscurity, but his music is now performed worldwide.
- Many scientists who made key discoveries died in obscurity.
- He feared he would die in obscurity, remembered by no one.
from obscurity to fame
1/fɹˈʌm əbskjˈʊɹəti tə fˈeɪm/
fixed phrase
become famous after being unknown
To go from being almost unknown to being very well known.
Ejemplos
- The documentary took her from obscurity to fame in a single year.
- Many reality shows promise to take contestants from obscurity to fame.
- His first novel brought him from obscurity to fame overnight.
in obscurity
1/ˈɪn əbskjˈʊɹəti/
fixed phrase
in a state of being unknown
In a situation where almost nobody knows who you are or what something is.
Ejemplos
- He spent most of his career in obscurity before winning the award.
- Many great inventions were created in obscurity and recognized only later.
- Without promotion, the film will probably stay in obscurity.
live in obscurity
1/lˈɪv ˈɪn əbskjˈʊɹəti/
fixed phrase
have an unknown life
To spend your life without being known by many people and without public attention.
Ejemplos
- The artist chose to live in obscurity in a small village.
- She lived in obscurity for decades until a journalist wrote about her work.
- Many writers live in obscurity despite producing excellent books.
plucked from obscurity
1/plˈʌkt fɹˈʌm əbskjˈʊɹəti/
fixed phrase
suddenly discovered while unknown
Suddenly noticed and chosen for success when you were not known before.
Ejemplos
- The young actor was plucked from obscurity to star in a major film.
- She was plucked from obscurity after a talent scout saw her singing online.
- Many models are plucked from obscurity at local shopping centers.
return to obscurity
1/ɹɪtˈɚn tə əbskjˈʊɹəti/
fixed phrase
become unknown again
To stop being noticed or famous and become almost unknown again.
Ejemplos
- After a brief moment in the spotlight, he returned to obscurity.
- The group returned to obscurity after their second album failed.
- Without another hit, the team may return to obscurity next season.
fade into obscurity
1/fˈeɪd ˈɪntu əbskjˈʊɹəti/
idiom
Gradually be forgotten by public
To slowly be forgotten by most people.
Ejemplos
- After one hit song, the singer faded into obscurity.
- After one hit song, the band faded into obscurity.
- Many old inventions have faded into obscurity.
- Many inventions fade into obscurity when better ones appear.
fade into obscurity
2/fˈeɪd ˈɪntu əbskjˈʊɹəti/
idiom
slowly become unknown again
To slowly stop being noticed or remembered, until almost nobody knows about you or it.
Ejemplos
- After one hit song, the band faded into obscurity.
- Many internet celebrities quickly fade into obscurity.
- Without new ideas, the company may fade into obscurity.