All 9 Uses of
obscure
in
Ethan Frome
- I went after him into a low unlit passage, at the back of which a ladder-like staircase rose into obscurity.
Chpt Open (definition 1)obscurity = the quality of being dark, dingy, or inconspicuous
- In another moment she would step forth into the night, and his eyes, accustomed to the obscurity, would discern her as clearly as though she stood in daylight.
Chpt 2 (definition 1) *obscurity = darkness
- Sometimes their way led them under the shade of an overhanging bank or through the thin obscurity of a clump of leafless trees.
Chpt 2 (definition 2) *obscurity = something that blocks a view
- He opened the barn-door and craned his head into the obscurity, half-fearing to discover Denis Eady's roan colt in the stall beside the sorrel.
Chpt 4 (definition 1)obscurity = the quality of being dark, dingy, or inconspicuous
- Ethan, consumed with the longing for a last moment alone with Mattie, hung about impatiently while Denis made an ineffectual search in the obscurer corners of the store.
Chpt 6 (definition 3) *obscurer = less familiar (less used and less known)
- The room was almost dark, but in the obscurity he saw her sitting by the window,
Chpt 7 (definition 1)obscurity = the quality of being dark, dingy, or inconspicuous
- Through the obscurity which hid their faces their thoughts seemed to dart at each other like serpents shooting venom.
Chpt 7 (definition 1)
- Still she did not speak and, prompted by an obscure desire to help himself and her through their miserable last hour, he went on discursively: "Ain't it funny we haven't been down together but just that once last winter?"
Chpt 9 (definition 4) *obscure = little understood
- He bent down, feeling in the obscurity for the glassy slide worn by preceding coasters, and placed the runners carefully between its edges.
Chpt 9 (definition 1)obscurity = the quality of being dark, dingy, or inconspicuous
Definitions:
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(1) (obscure as in: was obscure, but now bright) dark or dingy; or inconspicuous (not very noticeable)editor's notes: This meaning of obscure is more commonly seen in classic literature than in modern writing.
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(2) (obscure as in: it obscured my view) to block from view or make less visible or understandableeditor's notes: Although this meaning of obscure typically refers to seeing or understanding, it can also refer to situation where something makes something else harder to detect or as when a noise makes another noise difficult to hear. Similarly it can reference something overshadowing something else, as in "Her memory of her dog's death was obscured by her brother's death the next day."
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(3) (obscure as in: knows the famous and the obscure) not known to many people; or unimportant or undistinguishededitor's notes: More rarely, this meaning of obscure can be used for:
- seemingly unimportant -- as in "I want her on the team. She always seems to ask obscure questions that reveal problems in a different light."
- humble (typically only found in classic literature) -- as in "Nobody at the table would have guessed of her obscure family background."
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(4) (obscure as in: the view or directions are obscure) not clearly seen, understood, or expressededitor's notes: Although this meaning of obscure typically refers to seeing or understanding, it can refer to difficulty with any type of detection as when something is hard to hear. It can also more specifically mean vague, or mysterious, or unknown by anyone. Much more rarely, it can mean secretive.