obscurity
noun/əbˈskjʊərəti/
/əbˈskjʊrəti/
(plural obscurities)
- [uncountable] the state in which somebody/something is not well known or has been forgotten
- The actress was only 17 when she was plucked from obscurity and made a star.
- He spent most of his life working in obscurity.
Extra Examples- He is now living in virtual obscurity.
- He spent his early life in relative obscurity.
- O'Neil rose from obscurity to become an international sensation.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- complete
- total
- near
- …
- fade into
- sink into
- slip into
- …
- in obscurity
- go from obscurity to celebrity, notoriety, fame, etc.
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- [uncountable, countable, usually plural] the fact of being difficult to understand; something that is difficult to understand
- The course teaches students to avoid ambiguity and obscurity of expression.
- poems of impenetrable obscurity
- a speech full of obscurities
- [uncountable] (literary) the state of being dark synonym darkness
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French obscurite, from Latin obscuritas, from obscurus ‘dark’.
Check pronunciation:
obscurity