The Adverb of Obscure: Obscurely
The adverb of obscure is obscurely.
How obscurely is formed
The adjective ends in -e, and it stays: obscure + ly = obscurely.
The usual treatment for -e adjectives, as in sincere → sincerely, pure → purely and entire → entirely.
Obscurely in a sentence
| The clause is obscurely worded. | Written so it is hard to follow. |
| He felt obscurely threatened. | Indistinctly – he could not say why. |
| The two events are obscurely connected. | A link exists but is not clear. |
Where it is actually used
Knowing the form is one thing; knowing the company a word keeps is what makes it sound natural. These are the patterns obscurely appears in most often.
| obscurely worded / phrased | Criticism of writing. |
| felt obscurely uneasy / troubled | A literary pattern: a feeling without an identifiable cause. |
| obscurely related / connected | A link that resists explanation. |
Obscurely or something else?
Several adverbs sit close to obscurely, and the difference is usually meaning rather than formality.
| vaguely | Far more common and much lighter. Vaguely uneasy is ordinary English; obscurely uneasy is literary. |
| cryptically | Deliberately puzzling. Obscurely does not imply intent. |
| opaquely | Almost exclusively about writing that cannot be seen through. |
The mistake to watch for
| Incorrect | Correct |
| obscurly | obscurely |
The e is kept. Only whole, true and a handful of others drop it.
The verb is the busier word. Obscure as a verb – the fog obscured the view – is much more frequent than the adverb, and it means to hide rather than to be unclear. If you are reaching for obscurely in ordinary prose, vaguely is usually the word you want.
Related forms
Pronunciation: ob-SKYOOR-lee, three syllables, stress on the second.
| Adjective | obscure |
| Adverb | obscurely |
| Noun | obscurity |
| Verb | obscure (to hide from view) |
Practice
Fill the gap, then check yourself.
- The contract is ___ worded and needs redrafting.
- She felt ___ that something was wrong.
- He answered ___, giving nothing away.
Answers: 1. obscurely 2. vaguely 3. cryptically
Frequently asked
Why is obscurely so rare?
Because the adjective and the verb cover most of the ground. English tends to say an obscure reference or the clouds obscured the moon rather than reaching for the adverb.
