obscurities
Hard-to-grasp details
Obscurities are things that are unclear, unknown, or difficult to understand.
The word usually refers to obscure passages in texts, obscure references, or obscure points that require explanation: The professor delighted in explaining the obscurities of medieval law.
Less commonly, obscurities can mean states of being unknown or unnoticed: He emerged from years of obscurity, but his early obscurities shaped his art.
Undetermined quantities
- mysteriesUnexplained phenomena or events
- enigmasInexplicable mysteries
- puzzlesProblems designed to challenge
- secretsConcealed information
riddles · conundrums · uncertainties · ambiguities · vagueness · murkiness · opacity · inscrutability
Uncommon or scarce items
- triviaUnimportant miscellaneous facts
- minutiaePetty precise particulars
- footnotesMarginal citations below text
- curiositiesUnusual things worth examining
esoterica · marginalia · ephemera · antiquities · relics · anachronisms · bygones · lost knowledge
Unknown identity state
- namelessnessLacking any designation
- invisibilityState of being unseen
- insignificanceLack of consequence or weight
- unimportanceLack of consequence
neglect · marginality · shadows · background · facelessness · humble origins · lowliness
Indirect references to something
- referencesSources cited for verification
- coded languageCommunication using concealed meanings
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
- metaphorImplied identity comparison
allegory · subtexts · archaic language · neologisms · wordplay · double meanings
unknowns
Undetermined quantities
- mysteriesUnexplained phenomena or events
- enigmasInexplicable mysteries
- puzzlesProblems designed to challenge
secrets · riddles · conundrums · uncertainties · ambiguities · vagueness · murkiness · opacity · inscrutability · impenetrability
rarities
Uncommon or scarce items
- triviaUnimportant miscellaneous facts
- minutiaePetty precise particulars
- footnotesMarginal citations below text
curiosities · esoterica · marginalia · ephemera · antiquities · relics · anachronisms · bygones · lost knowledge · archives
anonymity
Unknown identity state
- namelessnessLacking any designation
- invisibilityState of being unseen
- insignificanceLack of consequence or weight
unimportance · neglect · marginality · shadows · background · facelessness · humble origins · lowliness
allusions
Indirect references to something
- referencesSources cited for verification
- coded languageCommunication using concealed meanings
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
metaphor · allegory · subtexts · archaic language · neologisms · wordplay · double meanings
- mysteriesmystery, enigma, enigmas, puzzle, riddle
- puzzlerspuzzle master, brainteasers, brain-teasers, conundrums, enigmas
obscuritiesclarities
States of transparency
transparencies · certainties · intelligibilities · elucidations · simplicities
obscuritiescelebrities
Well-known public figures
luminaries · stars · public figures · household names · icons
obscuritieseminences
Persons of high rank
distinctions · prominences · notabilities · dignitaries · preeminences
obscure, obscured, obscurity, obscuring, obscurely, obscureness, obscures, obscurer, unobscured