obscurenessn.
/əbˈskjʊənᵻs/, /əbˈskjɔːnᵻs/, U.S. /əbˈskjʊrnəs/, /ɑbˈskjʊrnəs/ Now rare.
The quality or condition of being obscure, unclear, or unknown; = obscurity n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > darkness or absence of light > [noun]
thesternessc888
thesterc897
murkOE
theosterleykc1000
darkc1300
darkheadc1300
murknessa1325
therknessa1325
darknessc1350
tenebres1413
tenebrousa1450
obscurity1481
tenebrosity1490
obscureness1509
dern?a1513
sable?a1513
darksomeness1571
fuliginousness1576
darkishness1583
murksomeness1625
obscure1667
soot1789
tenebrity1789
nightness1839
raylessness1843
lightlessness1845
darkling1882
unlight1883
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > unintelligibility > depth, obscurity > [noun]
deepnessa1000
subtletya1387
difficultyc1405
mistiheadc1425
darknessc1450
obscurity1474
profoundnessc1475
obscureness1509
profundity1559
perplexity1563
opacity1575
darksomeness1583
perplexednessa1586
deptha1593
spinosity1605
abstruseness1628
abstrusity1649
inevidence1673
enigmaticalness1684
dark1699
indistinctness1704
confusion1729
reconditeness1779
obfuscity1832
oracularity1840
irrecognizability1847
recondity1856
unrecognizableness1865
crypticity1892
society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > obscurity > [noun]
difficultyc1405
mistiheadc1425
darknessc1450
obscureness1509
obscuritya1522
unclearness1574
unplainness1619
abstruseness1628
umbragec1642
abstrusity1649
imperspicuity1659
reconditeness1779
mistiness1816
crampness1840
recondity1856
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > obscurity or ingloriousness > [noun]
obscurity1578
eclipse1598
ingloriousnessa1631
deliquium1648
shade1650
incelebrity1813
notelessness1830
obscureness1873
Palookaville?1954
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > unimportance > [noun] > unnoted
obscureness1873
obscurity1959
1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. lxiv To knowe of Logyke..For by argument it maketh euydent Moche obscurenes.
1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde iii. vii. f. 129 The obscurenesse [L. tenebras] of the caue into the which he was farre entered.
1570 H. Billingsley in tr. Euclid Elements Geom. x. f. 246v The difficulty and obscurenes of this booke.
1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning i. sig. D1v The priuatenesse or obscurenesse..of life of contemplatiue men. View more context for this quotation
1652 C. Manuche Just Gen. iii. i. 25 We..were to weak in Judgment to understand your plot. Which the obscureness of our travell confirms, takes well.
1727 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Oeconomique (Dublin ed.) at Draught horse If you discover some Spot, Obscureness, or Whiteness therein.
1754 J. Edwards Careful Enq. Freedom of Will iv. viii. 247 The Imperfection of our Manner of conceiving of Things, and the Obscureness of Language.
1873 M. Arnold Lit. & Dogma iii. 79 The characters of humility, obscureness, and depression, were commonly attributed to the Jewish Messiah.
1903 J. London Call of Wild vii. 219 As Buck slid along with the obscureness of a gliding shadow, his nose was jerked suddenly to the side.
1996 Santa Fe New Mexican (Nexis) 14 Jan. d6 In all its remote and vast obscureness, a land that has not changed greatly in a hundred years.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1509