obscure

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• /əbˈskjʊə(ɹ)/ without the pour–poor merger
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• /əbˈskjɔː(ɹ)/ pour–poor merger
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• General-American: /əbˈskjʊɹ/
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• General-American: /əbˈskjɝ/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -ʊə(ɹ)
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• rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)
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• rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)
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• CMU ARPABET: AH0 B S K Y UH1 R Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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From Middle English obscure, from Old French obscur, from Latin obscūrus (“dark, dusky, indistinct”), from ob- + *scūrus, from Proto-Italic *skoiros, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱeh3-. Doublet of oscuro.

152 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Arabic: مُظْلِم (muẓlim) — dark, faint or indistinct
• Bulgarian: тъмен (tǎmen) — dark, faint or indistinct
• Bulgarian: мрачен (mračen) — dark, faint or indistinct
• Chinese Mandarin: 不清楚 (bù qīngchu) — dark, faint or indistinct
• Chinese Mandarin: 陰暗 /阴暗 (yīn'àn) — dark, faint or indistinct
• Chinese Mandarin: 模糊 (móhu) — dark, faint or indistinct
• Czech: temný — dark, faint or indistinct
• Czech: nezřetelný — dark, faint or indistinct
• Dutch: duister — dark, faint or indistinct
• Esperanto: obskura — dark, faint or indistinct
• Finnish: hämärä — dark, faint or indistinct
• French: obscur — dark, faint or indistinct
• Georgian: ბუნდოვანი (bundovani) — dark, faint or indistinct
• German: obskur — dark, faint or indistinct
• German: dunkel — dark, faint or indistinct
• German: vernebelt — dark, faint or indistinct
• German: finster — dark, faint or indistinct
• German: düster — dark, faint or indistinct
• German: undeutlich — dark, faint or indistinct
• German: unklar — dark, faint or indistinct
• German: unbestimmt — dark, faint or indistinct
• German: zweifelhaft — dark, faint or indistinct
• German: dahergelaufen — dark, faint or indistinct
• Hindi: धुंधला (dhundhlā) — dark, faint or indistinct
• Hungarian: sötét — dark, faint or indistinct
• Hungarian: homályos — dark, faint or indistinct
• Hungarian: bizonytalan — dark, faint or indistinct
• Italian: oscuro — dark, faint or indistinct
• Japanese: 朦朧とした (mōrō to shita) — dark, faint or indistinct
• Japanese: 不明瞭 (fumeiryō) — dark, faint or indistinct
• Khmer: ស្រអាប់ (srɑ’ap) — dark, faint or indistinct
• Khmer: លឹម (lɨm) — dark, faint or indistinct
• Khmer: ព្រឹលៗ (prɨl-prɨl) — dark, faint or indistinct
• Korean: 애매한 (aemaehan) — dark, faint or indistinct
• Macedonian: нејасен (nejasen) — dark, faint or indistinct
• Macedonian: мрачен (mračen) — dark, faint or indistinct
• Macedonian: замаглен (zamaglen) — dark, faint or indistinct
• Māori: rehurehu — dark, faint or indistinct
• Māori: tāpōuri — dark, faint or indistinct
• Old Norse: myrkr — dark, faint or indistinct
• Polish: ciemny — dark, faint or indistinct
• Polish: niewyraźny — dark, faint or indistinct
• Portuguese: obscuro — dark, faint or indistinct
• Romanian: obscur — dark, faint or indistinct
• Romanian: întunecos — dark, faint or indistinct
• Russian: тёмный (tjómnyj) — dark, faint or indistinct
• Russian: нея́сный (nejásnyj) — dark, faint or indistinct
• Russian: сму́тный (smútnyj) — dark, faint or indistinct
• Scots: mirk — dark, faint or indistinct
• Spanish: obscuro — dark, faint or indistinct
• Suku: obscure — dark, faint or indistinct
• Swedish: mörk — dark, faint or indistinct
• Vietnamese: mờ mịt — dark, faint or indistinct
• Vietnamese: tối tăm — dark, faint or indistinct
• Bulgarian: скрит (skrit) — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• Bulgarian: неясен (nejasen) — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• Chinese Mandarin: 不顯眼的 /不显眼的 (bù xiǎnyǎn de) — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• Chinese Mandarin: 不引人注意的 (bù yǐn rén zhùyì de) — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• Chinese Mandarin: 不起眼的 (bùqǐyǎn de) — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• Dutch: verborgen — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• Finnish: huomaamaton — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• Finnish: piiloutunut — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• German: unbedeutend — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• German: versteckt — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• German: verborgen — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• German: unsichtbar — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• German: schleierhaft — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• German: unbekannt — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• Hindi: धूमिल (dhūmil) — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• Hungarian: rejtett — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• Italian: nascosto — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• Italian: oscurato — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• Polish: ukryty — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• Polish: mało znany — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• Romanian: obscur — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• Romanian: retras — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• Romanian: ascuns — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• Russian: скры́тый (skrýtyj) — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• Scots: mirk — hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous
• Bulgarian: неразбираем (nerazbiraem) — difficult to understand
• Chinese Mandarin: 艱澀 /艰涩 (jiānsè) — difficult to understand
• Chinese Mandarin: 晦澀 /晦涩 (huìsè) — difficult to understand
• Finnish: hämärä — difficult to understand
• Finnish: vaikeaselkoinen — difficult to understand
• French: sibyllin — difficult to understand
• German: unverständlich — difficult to understand
• Ancient Greek: ἀσαφής (asaphḗs) — difficult to understand
• Hungarian: homályos — difficult to understand
• Hungarian: zavaros — difficult to understand
• Hungarian: érthetetlen — difficult to understand
• Hungarian: kusza — difficult to understand
• Italian: confuso — difficult to understand
• Italian: poco chiaro — difficult to understand
• Italian: vago — difficult to understand
• Italian: indistinto — difficult to understand
• Latin: ambiguus — difficult to understand
• Russian: непоня́тный (neponjátnyj) — difficult to understand
• Russian: нея́сный (nejásnyj) — difficult to understand
• Russian: туманный (tumannyj) — difficult to understand
• Spanish: obscuro — difficult to understand
• Spanish: conceptuoso — difficult to understand
• Vietnamese: tối nghĩa — difficult to understand
• Welsh: astrus — difficult to understand
• Bulgarian: неизвестен (neizvesten) — not well-known
• Chinese Mandarin: 不為人知的 /不为人知的 (bùwéirénzhī de) — not well-known
• Chinese Mandarin: 默默無聞的 /默默无闻的 (mòmòwúwén de) — not well-known
• Chinese Mandarin: 名不見經傳的 /名不见经传的 (míng bú jiàn jīngzhuàn de) — not well-known
• Finnish: obskuuri — not well-known
• Hungarian: ismeretlen — not well-known
• Hungarian: jelentéktelen — not well-known
• Hungarian: obskúrus — not well-known
• Russian: малоизве́стный (maloizvéstnyj) — not well-known
• Spanish: obscuro — not well-known
• Spanish: conceptuoso — not well-known
• Swedish: obskyr — not well-known
• Vietnamese: ít người biết đến — not well-known
• Bulgarian: затъмнявам (zatǎmnjavam) — to darken, make faint
• Bulgarian: помрачавам (pomračavam) — to darken, make faint
• Finnish: hämärtää — to darken, make faint
• French: obscurcir — to darken, make faint
• German: verdunkeln — to darken, make faint
• German: vernebeln — to darken, make faint
• German: verunklaren — to darken, make faint
• German: verwirren — to darken, make faint
• Italian: oscurare — to darken, make faint
• Italian: offuscare — to darken, make faint
• Māori: whakarehurehu — to darken, make faint
• Polish: zaciemnić — to darken, make faint
• Polish: przesłonić — to darken, make faint
• Romanian: obscura — to darken, make faint
• Romanian: întuneca — to darken, make faint
• Russian: затемня́ть (zatemnjátʹ) — to darken, make faint
• Spanish: obscurecer — to darken, make faint
• Finnish: piilottaa — to hide, put out of sight
• French: obscurcir — to hide, put out of sight
• German: verschleiern — to hide, put out of sight
• German: verdecken — to hide, put out of sight
• German: verbergen — to hide, put out of sight
• Italian: nascondere — to hide, put out of sight
• Italian: occultare — to hide, put out of sight
• Latin: caecō — to hide, put out of sight
• Polish: ukryć — to hide, put out of sight
• Polish: schować — to hide, put out of sight
• Romanian: ascunde — to hide, put out of sight
• Romanian: oculta — to hide, put out of sight
• Russian: скрыва́ть (skryvátʹ) — to hide, put out of sight
• Russian: пря́тать (prjátatʹ) — to hide, put out of sight
• Spanish: esconder — to hide, put out of sight
• Spanish: ocultar — to hide, put out of sight
• Spanish: obscurecer — to hide, put out of sight
• Spanish: asconder — to hide, put out of sight
• Spanish: absconder (disused) — to hide, put out of sight