Obscure vs. Fog — What's the Difference?
![](webp/obscure-vs-fog-120080.webp)
Difference Between Obscure and Fog
ADVERTISEMENT
Definitions
Obscure
Deficient in light; dark
The obscure depths of a cave.
Fog
Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus, and is heavily influenced by nearby bodies of water, topography, and wind conditions.
Obscure
So faintly perceptible as to lack clear delineation; indistinct
An obscure figure in the fog.
Fog
A thick cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth's surface which obscures or restricts visibility (to a greater extent than mist; strictly, reducing visibility to below 1 km)
The collision occurred in thick fog
Obscure
Indistinctly heard; faint.
ADVERTISEMENT
Fog
A state or cause of perplexity or confusion
The coffee helped clear the fog in my brain
Obscure
(Linguistics) Having the reduced, neutral sound represented by schwa (ə).
Fog
The grass which grows in a field after a crop of hay has been taken.
Obscure
Far from centers of human population
An obscure village.
Fog
(with reference to a glass surface) cover or become covered with steam
The windscreen was starting to fog up
Hot steam drifted about her, fogging up the window
ADVERTISEMENT
Obscure
Out of sight; hidden
An obscure retreat.
Fog
Bewilder or puzzle
She stared at him, confusion fogging her brain
Obscure
Not readily noticed or seen; inconspicuous
An obscure flaw.
Fog
Spray with an insecticide.
Obscure
Of undistinguished or humble station or reputation
An obscure poet.
An obscure family.
Fog
Condensed water vapor in cloudlike masses lying close to the ground and limiting visibility.
Obscure
Not clearly understood or expressed; ambiguous or vague
Some say that Blake's style is obscure and complex.
Fog
An obscuring haze, as of atmospheric dust or smoke.
Obscure
To make dim, indistinct, or impossible to see
"His face was obscured in shadow" (Rosemary Mahoney).
Fog
A mist or film clouding a surface, as of a window, lens, or mirror.
Obscure
To make difficult to discern mentally or understand
The meaning of the text was obscured by its difficult language.
Fog
A cloud of vaporized liquid, especially a chemical spray used in fighting fires.
Obscure
To diminish the stature of; overshadow or detract from
"[His] character was so repellent that it has obscured his historical role" (David Rains Wallace).
Fog
A state of mental vagueness or bewilderment.
Obscure
(Linguistics) To reduce (a vowel) to the neutral sound represented by schwa (ə).
Fog
Something that obscures or conceals; a haze
Shrouded their actions in a fog of disinformation.
Obscure
Something obscure or unknown.
Fog
A blur on a developed photographic image.
Obscure
Dark, faint or indistinct.
Fog
A new growth of grass appearing on a field that has been mowed or grazed.
Obscure
Hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous.
Fog
Tall, coarse grass left standing in fields through the winter.
Obscure
Difficult to understand.
An obscure passage or inscription;
The speaker made obscure references to little-known literary works.
Fog
To cover or envelop with fog.
Obscure
Not well-known.
Fog
To cause to be obscured; cloud.
Obscure
Unknown or uncertain; unclear.
The etymological roots of the word "blizzard" are obscure and open to debate.
Fog
To make vague, hazy, or confused
A memory that had been fogged by time.
Obscure
(transitive) To render obscure; to darken; to make dim; to keep in the dark; to hide; to make less visible, intelligible, legible, glorious, beautiful, or illustrious.
Fog
To obscure or dim (a photographic image).
Obscure
(transitive) To hide, put out of sight etc.
Fog
To be covered with fog.
Obscure
To conceal oneself; to hide.
Fog
To be blurred, clouded, or obscured
My glasses fogged in the warm air.
Obscure
Covered over, shaded, or darkened; destitute of light; imperfectly illuminated; dusky; dim.
His lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.
Fog
To be dimmed or obscured. Used of a photographic image.
Obscure
Of or pertaining to darkness or night; inconspicuous to the sight; indistinctly seen; hidden; retired; remote from observation; unnoticed.
The obscure birdClamored the livelong night.
The obscure corners of the earth.
Fog
(uncountable) A thick cloud that forms near the ground; the obscurity of such a cloud. mist, haze.}}
A bank of fog
Obscure
Not noticeable; humble; mean.
Fog
(uncountable) A mist or film clouding a surface.
Obscure
Not easily understood; not clear or legible; abstruse or incomprehensible; as, an obscure passage or inscription.
Fog
A state of mind characterized by lethargy and confusion.
He did so many drugs, he was still in a fog three months after going through detox.
Obscure
Not clear, full, or distinct; clouded; imperfect; as, an obscure view of remote objects.
Fog
(photography) A silver deposit or other blur on a negative or developed photographic image.
Obscure
To render obscure; to darken; to make dim; to keep in the dark; to hide; to make less visible, intelligible, legible, glorious, beautiful, or illustrious.
They are all couched in a pit hard by Herne's oak, with obscured lights.
Why, 't is an office of discovery, love,And I should be obscured.
There is scarce any duty which has been so obscured by the writings of learned men as this.
And seest not sin obscures thy godlike frame?
Fog
(computer graphics) Distance fog.
Obscure
To conceal one's self; to hide; to keep dark.
How! There's bad news.I must obscure, and hear it.
Fog
A new growth of grass appearing on a field that has been mowed or grazed.
Obscure
Obscurity.
Fog
Tall and decaying grass left standing after the cutting or grazing season.
Obscure
Make less visible or unclear;
The stars are obscured by the clouds
Fog
(Scotland) Moss.
Obscure
Make unclear, indistinct, or blurred;
Her remarks confused the debate
Their words obnubilate their intentions
Fog
(intransitive) To become covered with or as if with fog.
Obscure
Make obscure or unclear;
The distinction was obscured
Fog
(intransitive) To become obscured in condensation or water.
The mirror fogged every time he showered.
Obscure
Make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing;
A hidden message
A veiled threat
Fog
To become dim or obscure.
Obscure
Make difficult to perceive by sight;
The foliage of the huge tree obscures the view of the lake
Fog
To make dim or obscure.
Obscure
Not clearly understood or expressed;
An obscure turn of phrase
An impulse to go off and fight certain obscure battles of his own spirit
Their descriptions of human behavior become vague, dull, and unclear
Vague...forms of speech...have so long passed for mysteries of science
Fog
To spoil (film) via exposure to light other than in the normal process of taking a photograph.
Obscure
Marked by difficulty of style or expression;
Much that was dark is now quite clear to me
Those who do not appreciate Kafka's work say his style is obscure
Fog
(transitive) To cover with or as if with fog.
Obscure
Difficult to find;
Hidden valleys
A hidden cave
An obscure retreat
Fog
(transitive) To disperse insecticide into (a forest canopy) so as to collect organisms.
Obscure
Not famous or acclaimed;
An obscure family
Unsung heroes of the war
Fog
(transitive) To obscure in condensation or water.
Obscure
Not drawing attention;
An unnoticeable cigarette burn on the carpet
An obscure flaw
Fog
(transitive) To make confusing or obscure.
Obscure
Remote and separate physically or socially;
Existed over the centuries as a world apart
Preserved because they inhabited a place apart
Tiny isolated villages remote from centers of civilization
An obscure village
Fog
To practice in a small or mean way; to pettifog.
Fog
(transitive) To pasture cattle on the fog (of), or aftergrass, of; to eat off the fog from (a field).
Fog
(intransitive) To become covered with the kind of grass called fog.
Fog
A second growth of grass; aftergrass.
Fog
Watery vapor condensed in the lower part of the atmosphere and disturbing its transparency. It differs from cloud only in being near the ground, and from mist in not approaching so nearly to fine rain. See Cloud.
Fog
A state of mental confusion.
Fog
Cloudiness or partial opacity of those parts of a developed film or a photograph which should be clear.
Fog
To pasture cattle on the fog, or aftergrass, of; to eat off the fog from.
Fog
To practice in a small or mean way; to pettifog.
Where wouldst thou fog to get a fee?
Fog
To envelop, as with fog; to befog; to overcast; to darken; to obscure.
Fog
To render semiopaque or cloudy, as a negative film, by exposure to stray light, too long an exposure to the developer, etc.
Fog
To show indistinctly or become indistinct, as the picture on a negative sometimes does in the process of development.
Fog
Droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
Fog
An atmosphere in which visibility is reduced because of a cloud of some substance
Fog
Confusion characterized by lack of clarity
Fog
Make less visible or unclear;
The stars are obscured by the clouds