Explicit and Obscure

Explicit

Explicit adjective - So clearly expressed as to leave no doubt about the meaning.
Usage example: explicit instructions about what to do in an emergency

Obscure is an antonym for explicit in topics: clear, specific.

Nearby Word: explicitly

Obscure

Obscure adjective - Having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning.
Usage example: a fantasy writer who likes to put lots of obscure references and images in her tales of wizards and warlocks

Explicit is an antonym for obscure in topics: abstruse, cloudy, out-of-the-way, not easily understood.

Both words in one sentence

  • Film / Avengers: Age of Ultron In the movie, he says he'll reinstate prima nocta instead; which is the same basic joke about using his authority to get women but simultaneously more obscure and more explicit.
  • The Lord of the Rings films feature several nods to other books by Tolkien (though sometimes only in the EE): the allusions are much more explicit in the books, but in the films they can be easy to miss or obscure.
Cite this Source
Obscure and Explicit. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/explicit/obscure
Explicit & Obscure. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/explicit/obscure>.
Obscure or Explicit. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/explicit/obscure.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "explicit" and "obscure" have occurred on timeline