different between perplex vs obscure
perplex
English
Etymology
From Old French, from Latin perplexus (“entangled, confused”), from per (“through”) + plexus, perfect passive participle of plect? (“plait, weave, braid”).
Pronunciation
- (General American) enPR: p?rpl?ks?, IPA(key): /p??pl?ks/
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: p?pl?ks?, IPA(key): /p??pl?ks/
- Rhymes: -?ks
Verb
perplex (third-person singular simple present perplexes, present participle perplexing, simple past and past participle perplexed)
- (transitive) To cause to feel baffled; to puzzle.
- (transitive) To involve; to entangle; to make intricate or complicated.
- What was thought obscure, perplexed, and too hard for our weak parts, will lie open to the understanding in a fair view.
- (transitive, obsolete) To plague; to vex; to torment.
- 1726, George Granville, Chloe
- Chloe's the wonder of her sex, 'Tis well her heart is tender, How might such killing eyes perplex, With virtue to defend her.
- 1726, George Granville, Chloe
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:confuse
Related terms
- perplexable
- perplexation
- perplexed
- perplexedness
- perplexing
- perplexity
- perplexment
Translations
Adjective
perplex (comparative more perplex, superlative most perplex)
- (obsolete) intricate; difficult
- 1665, Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica
- How the soul directs the spirits for the motion of the body, according to the several animal exigents, is as perplex in the Theory, as either of the former.
- 1665, Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica
Noun
perplex (plural perplexes)
- (obsolete) A difficulty.
Further reading
- perplex in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- perplex in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- perplex at OneLook Dictionary Search
German
Etymology
From French perplexe, from Latin perplexus.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /p???pl?ks/
- Hyphenation: per?plex
Adjective
perplex (comparative perplexer, superlative am perplexesten)
- (colloquial, rarely attributive) confused, perplexed, puzzled
- Synonyms: verdutzt, verblüfft, verwirrt
Declension
Related terms
- Perplexität
Further reading
- “perplex” in Duden online
- “perplex” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- “perplex” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.
Romanian
Etymology
From French perplexe, from Latin perplex.
Adjective
perplex m or n (feminine singular perplex?, masculine plural perplec?i, feminine and neuter plural perplexe)
- perplexed
Declension
perplex From the web:
- what perplexed mean
- what perplexes nora about the law
- what perplexed dante
- what perplexed
- what perplexed juliet
- what perplexed the narrator and his friend
- what perplexed pickering in scene 1
- what perplexed scrooge about the clock
obscure
English
Etymology
From Middle English obscure, from Old French obscur, from Latin obsc?rus (“dark, dusky, indistinct”), from ob- +? *sc?rus, from Proto-Italic *skoiros, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)?eh?-.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /?b?skj??(?)/, /?b?skj??(?)/
- (General American) IPA(key): /?b?skj??/, /?b?skj?/
- Rhymes: -??(?), -??(?), -??(?)
- Hyphenation: ob?scure
Adjective
obscure (comparative obscurer or more obscure, superlative obscurest or most obscure)
- Dark, faint or indistinct.
- 1892, Denton Jaques Snider, Inferno, 1, 1-2 (originally by Dante Alighieri)
- I found myself in an obscure wood.
- His lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.
- 1892, Denton Jaques Snider, Inferno, 1, 1-2 (originally by Dante Alighieri)
- Hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous.
- 1606, John Davies of Hereford, Bien Venu
- the obscure corners of the earth
- 1606, John Davies of Hereford, Bien Venu
- Difficult to understand.
- Not well-known.
- Unknown or uncertain; unclear.
- The etymological roots of the word "blizzard" are obscure and open to debate.
Usage notes
- The comparative obscurer and superlative obscurest, though formed by valid rules for English, are less common than more obscure and most obscure.
Synonyms
- (dark): cimmerian, dingy; See also Thesaurus:dark
- (faint or indistinct): fuzzy, ill-defined; See also Thesaurus:indistinct
- (hidden, out of sight): occluded, secluded; See also Thesaurus:hidden
- (difficult to understand): fathomless, inscrutable; See also Thesaurus:incomprehensible
- (not well-known): enigmatic, esoteric, mysterious; See also Thesaurus:arcane
Antonyms
- clear
Derived terms
- obscurable
- unobscurable
- obscureness
Related terms
- obscurity
- obscuration
Translations
Verb
obscure (third-person singular simple present obscures, present participle obscuring, simple past and past participle obscured)
- (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.
- c. 1688', William Wake, Preparation for Death
- There is scarce any duty which has been so obscured in the writings of learned men as this.
- c. 1688', William Wake, Preparation for Death
- (transitive) To hide, put out of sight etc.
- 1994, Bill Watterson, Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat, page 62
- I realized that the purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure poor reasoning, and inhibit clarity.
- 1994, Bill Watterson, Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat, page 62
- (intransitive, obsolete) To conceal oneself; to hide.
- How! There's bad news. / I must obscure, and hear it.
Synonyms
- (to render obscure; to darken; dim): becloud, bedarken, bedim, bemist
Translations
Further reading
- obscure in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- obscure in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
Anagrams
- Cuberos
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?p.sky?/
Adjective
obscure
- feminine singular of obscur
Anagrams
- courbes
Latin
Adjective
obsc?re
- vocative masculine singular of obsc?rus
References
- obscure in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- obscure in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- obscure in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
obscure From the web:
- what obscure holiday is today
- what obscure means
- what obscure national holiday is it today
- what obscures the real reason for christmas
- what obscured
- what obscures the moon
- what obscure animal are you
- what obscure aesthetic are you
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