obscure to understand

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "obscure to understand" is not correct in standard English.
A more appropriate expression would be "difficult to understand." Example: "The instructions were so obscure to understand that I had to ask for clarification."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Encyclopedias

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

In Firstborn, she derives energy from the surrounding exuberance of the sixties, and presents concrete images, if a little too obscure to understand because of their derivative nature.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Too often, students come to the class with the assumptions that poetry should be all hyacinths — which is to say, obscure, esoteric, difficult to understand and needlessly complicated.

The New York Times - Magazine

Can you not disturb us, and go back to your work?" The sweeper kept talking — faster now, about ancient Chinese poetry, and the great modern writer Lu Xun — some of it too fast, and the references too obscure, for me to understand.

The New Yorker

Japanese universities should streamline technology transfer processes which are complicated, obscure and difficult to understand both by university staff and potential partners.

Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Review of technology transfer process: streamline the processes which are complicated, obscure and difficult to understand both by university staff and potential partners.

Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Apparently, Belevitch's work is obscure and difficult to understand.

Wikipedia

Deep in the jungles of southern Colombia, coca farmers didn't need obscure economic theories to understand the consequences of the kingpin strategy.

Huffington Post

They're also at an age where their love for their parents might obscure their ability to understand the corrupt motivations behind their parents' actions.

Vice

Qin Jiushao's book also contains algorithms for the general congruence problem, an example of which was given in Sunzi's 5th-century treatise, where its solution was too obscure to be understood.

Encyclopedia Britannica

"It also points to her pursuit of the hidden, the fleeting and obscure, in her desire to understand better the place and moment in which she lived".

Huffington Post

There's nothing wrong with adjectives, except that they can sometimes be redundant and are often more obscure — and therefore harder to understand — than other parts of speech.

WikiHow

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using the phrase "obscure to understand" in formal writing. Opt for clearer and more grammatically sound alternatives such as "difficult to understand".

Common error

The common mistake is using "obscure to" when the intended meaning is "difficult to understand." Ensure that you use "difficult to understand" or other similar alternatives to maintain clarity and grammatical correctness.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "obscure to understand" functions as a descriptive phrase, attempting to convey that something is not easily grasped. However, Ludwig AI points out that this phrasing is not considered correct in standard English. It tries to modify the verb "understand" with an adjective-like quality.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

32%

Science

32%

Wiki

14%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

4%

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "obscure to understand" attempts to describe something difficult to comprehend, it's grammatically incorrect and not recognized in standard English. Ludwig AI suggests alternatives like "difficult to understand" or "hard to comprehend". Its rare usage spans various contexts, including news, science, and encyclopedias. To maintain clarity and correctness, it's best to avoid this phrase in formal and professional writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Incomprehensible

Presents a single word that encapsulates the meaning of "not able to be understood".

Unintelligible

Similar to "incomprehensible", this single word emphasizes the lack of clarity.

Difficult to comprehend

Replaces "obscure" with "difficult" and "understand" with "comprehend", offering a more standard construction.

Hard to grasp

Uses a more colloquial expression, replacing both "obscure" and "understand" with simpler terms.

Not easily understood

Employs a passive voice construction, emphasizing the lack of ease in understanding.

Lacking clarity

Focuses on the absence of clear and coherent information.

Beyond one's comprehension

Indicates that something is impossible for someone to understand.

Hard to make out

Suggests difficulty in discerning or interpreting something.

Elusive to understanding

Highlights the difficulty in achieving understanding, as if it is something that evades grasp.

Not straightforward

Implies complexity and a lack of directness, making understanding challenging.

FAQs

What is a more grammatically correct way to say "obscure to understand"?

The phrase "obscure to understand" is not standard English. A more appropriate alternative is "difficult to understand".

Can I use "obscure to understand" in formal writing?

No, it's best to avoid "obscure to understand" in formal writing. Instead, use phrases like "hard to comprehend" or "difficult to grasp".

What does "obscure to understand" mean?

The intended meaning of "obscure to understand" is that something is not easily understood. A better way to phrase this is to say it's "incomprehensible" or "unintelligible".

Which is correct, "obscure to understand" or "difficult to understand"?

Difficult to understand is the correct and more widely accepted phrase. "Obscure to understand" is not considered standard English.