Obscure and Plain

Opposite meaning words

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

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

Plain adjective - Not subject to misinterpretation or more than one interpretation.

Usage example: let me make my meaning plain

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Obscure is an antonym for plain in topics: clear, normal, ugly, unembellished, straightforward in speech.

Nearby Words: plainly, plainness, plaint

Shout Out: A great many, not all of which survived translation due to being just plain too obscure.

Source: Tabletop Game / Maid RPG
We have your standard vampires, werewolves, succubi, etc, but then we have more obscure creatures, like the melusine and the just plain creepy Futakuchi-onna.

Source: Webcomic / Eerie Cuties
Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless?

Source: Accidentally Accurate

Cite this Source

Plain and Obscure. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/obscure/plain

Obscure & Plain. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/obscure/plain>.

Plain or Obscure. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/obscure/plain.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "obscure" and "plain" have occurred on timeline