All 10 Uses of
obscure
in
Howards End
- It was his hope that the clouds of materialism obscuring the Fatherland would part in time, and the mild intellectual light re-emerge.
Part 4 *obscuring = making less visible
- Obscurely wounded in his pride, he tried to wound them in return.
Part 6 *obscurely = in a manner that is not clearly understood
- ...what is very peculiar to this flat—its obscurity.
Part 6obscurity = less commonly known
- Her thought drew being from the obscure borderland.
Part 7obscure = not known to many people; or undistinguished
- They clattered down flagged passages, looking into room after room, and scaring unknown maids from the performance of obscure duties.
Part 26
- As the lost umbrella had spoilt the concert at Queen's Hall, so the lost situation was obscuring the diviner harmonies now.
Part 27obscuring = making less visible or understandable
- She felt that Henry had been obscurely censured.
Part 33obscurely = in a manner that is not clearly seen, expressed or understood
- They were building up a new life, obscure, yet gilded with tranquillity.
Part 44 *obscure = undistinguished
- Nature withdrew; the leaves were falling by midsummer; the sun shone through dirt with an admired obscurity.†
Part 13
- Perhaps he could not have told, for his mental states became obscure as soon as he had passed through them.†
Part 20
Definitions:
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(1)
(obscure as in: it obscured my view) to block from view or make less visible or understandableAlthough 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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(2)
(obscure as in: the view or directions are obscure) not clearly seen, understood, or expressedAlthough 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.
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(3)
(obscure as in: the famous and the obscure) not known to many people; or unimportant or undistinguishedMore 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: was obscure, but now bright) dark or dingy; or inconspicuous (not very noticeable)This meaning of obscure is more commonly seen in classic literature than in modern writing.