obscure
gb/əbskjˈʊɹ/ us/əbskjˈʊɹ/
B1
Kiingereza
~ 3900
Maana
maana 0
adjective
B2
property
1
not clear or hard to understand
Not clear or easy to understand; not well known.
Muundo wa matumizi:
[something] is obscure
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners sometimes confuse 'obscure' with 'abstract'; 'abstract' relates to ideas that are not physical, while 'obscure' refers to something unclear or little known.
Visawe
unclear (More common in everyday speech; lacks the slightly formal or academic tone of 'obscure'.)
|
vague (Implies lack of detail or precision, not necessarily rarity.)
Vinyume
clear (Directly opposite in meaning; something easy to understand or see.)
|
obvious (Implies immediately apparent or easily noticed.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
obscure meaning
|obscure reference
|obscure fact
|obscure origin
Mada
communication
|knowledge
|understanding
|education
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- The instructions were obscure and difficult to follow.
- He is an expert on an obscure 14th-century poet.
- The true meaning of the symbol remains obscure.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- The rules are obscure.
- That word has an obscure meaning.
- The answer is obscure.
Kitenzi
B2
action
2
to make unclear or hide
To hide something or make it hard to understand.
Muundo wa matumizi:
to obscure [something]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners may overuse 'hide' instead of 'obscure'; 'hide' often implies intentional action, while 'obscure' can be unintentional.
Visawe
conceal (Focuses more on hiding from view, not necessarily making confusing.)
|
blur (Often used for vision; can also mean make unclear figuratively.)
Vinyume
reveal (Means to make something known or visible.)
|
clarify (Means to make something easier to understand.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
obscure the truth
|obscure the view
|obscure details
Mada
communication
|vision
|information
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- Clouds obscured the mountain peak.
- The report was written in a way that obscured the facts.
- His long speech only served to obscure the main point.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- The fog obscured the road.
- He obscured the truth.
- The clouds obscure the sun.
adjective
B1
property
3
not well known or famous
Known by very few people.
Muundo wa matumizi:
[someone/something] is obscure
Visawe
unknown (Plain and direct; lacks the formal tone of 'obscure'.)
|
unfamiliar (Implies not recognized by someone personally, not necessarily rare generally.)
Vinyume
famous (Widely known and recognized by many people.)
|
well-known (Commonly recognized or familiar to many people.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
obscure artist
|obscure law
|obscure location
Mada
fame
|knowledge
|core_vocabulary
|communication
Mifano
- The film features an obscure actor from the 1980s.
- They visited an obscure village in the mountains.
- It’s an obscure tradition practiced only in this region.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- He is an obscure singer.
- This is an obscure town.
- That rule is obscure.
Sarufi
Umbo la kamusi
obscure
IPA
GB/əbskjˈʊɹ/
US/əbskjˈʊɹ/
Silabi na mkazo
ob - scure (silabi 2)
Stress on 2nd syllable (scure)
Maumbo ya neno
Adjective
- Base: obscure
Verb
- Base: obscure
- 3rd Person Singular: obscures
- Present Participle: obscuring
- Past: obscured
Familia ya neno
Semi
in the obscurity of
1/ˈɪn ðə əbskjˈʊɹəti əv/
fixed phrase
literary
hidden or unknown in a place/situation
In a dark, hidden, or unknown place or situation.
Mifano
- In the obscurity of the basement, we found old photographs.
- The animal lived in the obscurity of the dense jungle.
throw into obscurity
1/θɹˈoʊ ˈɪntu əbskjˈʊɹəti/
idiom
make less known/understood suddenly
To suddenly make something less known or less clear.
Mifano
- The scandal threw the politician's achievements into obscurity.
- New research threw old theories into obscurity.
fade into obscurity
1/fˈeɪd ˈɪntu əbskjˈʊɹəti/
idiom
Gradually be forgotten by public
To slowly be forgotten by most people.
Mifano
- 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.
Mifano
- 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.