obscurityob‧scu‧ri‧ty /əbˈskjʊərəti $ -ˈskjʊr-/ noun (plural obscurities) 
The group produced two albums before disappearing into obscurity.live/work/remain etc in obscurity O'Brien died in obscurity.from obscurity to something She rose from obscurity to stardom.2[countable, uncountable] something that is difficult to understand, or the quality of being difficult to understand: obscurities in the textCOLLOCATIONSverbsfade into obscurity (=to gradually be forgotten after being well-known)· The band faded into obscurity as the 1980s progressed.slide/slip/sink into obscurity (=fade into obscurity)· Many scientific theories are never proved and slip into obscurity.work/labour/toil in obscurity (=work without being well-known)· After years of working in obscurity, his paintings are now hanging in museums.languish in obscurity (=to fail to become well-known or successful)· Until recently her talent has languished in obscurity.rise/emerge from obscurity (=to become well-known after not being known at all)· Harris received coaching and rose from obscurity to stardom.rescue somebody/something from obscurity (=to stop someone or something from being forgotten)· He was rescued from obscurity by Alder's brilliant biography in 1985.be plucked from obscurity (=to take someone or something that is not known about and make them well-known)· The actress has been plucked from obscurity to become the new Bond girl.be relegated/consigned to obscurity (=to be put in the position of being forgotten after being well-known)· Inevitably, many good players are relegated to obscurity.adjectivesrelative/comparative obscurity (=not known about compared to other things that are better known)· He brought the team from relative obscurity to fame.total obscurity· The competition has helped some aspiring writers to emerge from total obscurity.professional/political obscurity (=not known about in your profession or in politics)· After his defeat, he sank into political obscurity.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Arbuckle died in obscurity in 1933.
- A pitiful exhalation, an obscurity, a memory.
- How could he change his life, which seemed irretrievably set on a course of obscurity?
- In Washington, obscurity is never a measure of insignificance.
- Rarely has a term of public discourse gone so directly from obscurity to meaninglessness without any intervening period of coherence.
- She chose silence, obscurity, poverty.
- That other story, likewise, traced the path from poverty to wealth and obscurity to fame.
- The lace curtains seemed to have survived from obscurity, like the antique gown of a jilted bride.
- Then with the coming of the railways they slipped back into obscurity.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYverbs She was plucked from obscurity (=made suddenly famous) by a Hollywood film producer.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
1[uncountable] the state of not being known or rememberedfade/slide/sink etc into obscurity (=to gradually be forgotten after being well-known)· The band faded into obscurity as the 1980s progressed.
(=fade into obscurity)· Many scientific theories are never proved and slip into obscurity.
(=work without being well-known)· After years of working in obscurity, his paintings are now hanging in museums.
(=to fail to become well-known or successful)· Until recently her talent has languished in obscurity.
(=to become well-known after not being known at all)· Harris received coaching and rose from obscurity to stardom.
(=to stop someone or something from being forgotten)· He was rescued from obscurity by Alder's brilliant biography in 1985.
(=to take someone or something that is not known about and make them well-known)· The actress has been plucked from obscurity to become the new Bond girl.
(=to be put in the position of being forgotten after being well-known)· Inevitably, many good players are relegated to obscurity.
adjectives (=not known about compared to other things that are better known)· He brought the team from relative obscurity to fame.
· The competition has helped some aspiring writers to emerge from total obscurity.
(=not known about in your profession or in politics)· After his defeat, he sank into political obscurity.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES She was plucked from obscurity (=made suddenly famous) by a Hollywood film producer.· Marinello's was played out in relative obscurity.· This nondescript little gem across from Arizona Stadium has been languishing in relative obscurity for the last two years.· Like anyone who has lived most of his life in relative obscurity, Payne remains uncomfortable with public scrutiny.
VERB· It was ironic, though, that without the official opposition the bull-running would probably have faded quietly away into obscurity.· As times and contexts change the visionaries of yesterday fade into obscurity or, worse, become the villains of today.· Would the idea of drugs useful against germs once again have faded into obscurity?
· Dudley tried to sink into obscurity.
The group produced two albums before disappearing into obscurity.live/work/remain etc in obscurity O'Brien died in obscurity.from obscurity to something She rose from obscurity to stardom.2[countable, uncountable] something that is difficult to understand, or the quality of being difficult to understand: obscurities in the textCOLLOCATIONSverbsfade into obscurity (=to gradually be forgotten after being well-known)· The band faded into obscurity as the 1980s progressed.slide/slip/sink into obscurity (=fade into obscurity)· Many scientific theories are never proved and slip into obscurity.work/labour/toil in obscurity (=work without being well-known)· After years of working in obscurity, his paintings are now hanging in museums.languish in obscurity (=to fail to become well-known or successful)· Until recently her talent has languished in obscurity.rise/emerge from obscurity (=to become well-known after not being known at all)· Harris received coaching and rose from obscurity to stardom.rescue somebody/something from obscurity (=to stop someone or something from being forgotten)· He was rescued from obscurity by Alder's brilliant biography in 1985.be plucked from obscurity (=to take someone or something that is not known about and make them well-known)· The actress has been plucked from obscurity to become the new Bond girl.be relegated/consigned to obscurity (=to be put in the position of being forgotten after being well-known)· Inevitably, many good players are relegated to obscurity.adjectivesrelative/comparative obscurity (=not known about compared to other things that are better known)· He brought the team from relative obscurity to fame.total obscurity· The competition has helped some aspiring writers to emerge from total obscurity.professional/political obscurity (=not known about in your profession or in politics)· After his defeat, he sank into political obscurity.- new-found
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Newgate
- New Guinea
- New Hampshire
- New Haven
- New Hebrides
- New Internationalist, The
- New Jersey
- New Jerusalem
- New Labour
- New Lad
- new-look
- newly
- newlywed
- newlyweds
- New Man
- Newman, Cardinal John Henry
- Newman, Paul
- Newmarket
- new media
- New Mexico
- New Model Army
- new money
- new moon