obscurity
/əbˈskjʊərəti/ (bre, ipa) · /əbˈskjʊrəti/ (ame, ipa) · /äb-ˈskyu̇r-ə-tē əb-/ (ame, mw)
obscurity — noun
1. a situation where someone or something is not known about by many people — for i
a situation where someone or something is not known about by many people — for instance, a novelist whose books few people have ever read.
After her hit song in 1995, the singer returned to obscurity.
returned to obscurity — collocation for becoming unknown again
For many years, the talented painter worked in obscurity, selling only two canvases.
Mei-Lin made pots in obscurity for forty years; only after her death did her ceramics reach international buyers.
The small company rose from obscurity to become a global brand in just five years.
It took decades for the novel to emerge from obscurity and find its audience.
- anonymity
emphasises that the name is not known, often by choice
- oblivion
stronger — suggests being completely forgotten, often after being known
- insignificance
focuses on lacking importance rather than recognition
- fame
the state of being widely known
- prominence
the state of being important and well-known
文法句型
obscurity + as subject/object
in/from/into obscurity
用法筆記
Frequently occurs in fixed phrases like 'fade into obscurity', 'rise from obscurity', and 'live/die in obscurity'. Always uncountable in this sense — do not use 'an obscurity' or a plural form.
常見錯誤
2. when writing, speech, or meaning is hard to follow because the message is not ma
when writing, speech, or meaning is hard to follow because the message is not made clear or the subject is complex — for example, a legal contract that leaves readers confused, or a poem whose meaning nobody can agree on.
The legal document was full of obscurity, confusing even the experienced lawyer.
full of obscurity — noun + adjective phrase collocation
When the professor removed the obscurity from her lecture, even the beginners understood.
removed the obscurity from — verb + noun + preposition pattern
At the library, Jamal borrowed a book of 14th-century Persian poems, but the obscurity of the language made every stanza a puzzle.
Many readers complained that the obscurity of the final chapter ruined the novel.
It was hard to follow the instructions because of their unnecessary obscurity.
文法句型
obscurity + of + noun phrase
full of obscurity
用法筆記
Most common in formal or academic contexts when discussing texts, arguments, or explanations. Often modified by adjectives like 'deliberate', 'unnecessary', or 'relative'. The plural form 'obscurities' exists but is rare — prefer 'obscure passages' or 'unclear parts'.
常見錯誤
3. a dark or shadowy condition in a place, usually because no light reaches it — fo
a dark or shadowy condition in a place, usually because no light reaches it — for example, a cave where nothing can be seen, or a garden on a moonless night.
The hikers could see nothing in the obscurity of the deep cave.
in the obscurity of — prepositional phrase for dark location
A single candle was not enough to light the obscurity of the old attic.
The moon hid behind clouds, and the garden's obscurity made the path disappear.
Luis peered into the obscurity beyond the porch, searching for the missing cat.
When the streetlights failed, the whole neighborhood was left in obscurity.
- darkness
the general, everyday term for absence of light
- gloom
suggests a sad or threatening kind of darkness
- shadowiness
emphasises shapes being hard to distinguish
- brightness
the state of being full of light
- illumination
light that makes things visible
文法句型
in the obscurity of + noun
peer into obscurity
用法筆記
Chiefly found in literary or descriptive writing. Less common in everyday speech than 'darkness' or 'gloom'. Often paired with a prepositional phrase specifying the dark location: 'the obscurity of the cave/forest/attic'.