obscurity UK /əbˈskjʊəɹɪti/US /əbˈskjʊɹɪti/ noun3 •The state of being unknown; a thing that is unknown.She was plucked from obscurity to star in a Broadway musical. •The quality of being difficult to understand; a thing that is difficult to understand. •(literary) Darkness; the absence of light. formsobscurities