All 4 Uses of
obscure
in
A Hope in the Unseen
- ...a plain fact is obscured: they were suited to their times then and they are, likewise, suited to their times now, as middle-aged baby boomer parents.
Chpt 9 *obscured = hidden (or overshadowed)
- They both slip into the car, ignoring the driver, as their discussion of this obscure point drifts into discord.
Chpt 11 *obscure = not clearly understood
- Everything they pass is gray, from the dirty mounds of frozen snow to the steely clouds in a murky sky to the people-white and then, increasingly, black-who scuffle along, their faces obscured by wraparound scarves or tightly tied hoods as they try to get somewhere before the cold gets them.
Chpt 12obscured = hid or made less visible or understandable
- Cedric just smiles, and around the room they go, pulling up obscure CDs and humming songs and reminiscing.
Chpt 13 *obscure = not known to many people
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.
- (5) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)