unklar
The German word for obscure is unklar.
unklar is used for things that are not clear or are ambiguous, and is more commonly used for lack of clarity in meaning rather than for things that are 'obscure' in the sense of being 'little known'.
Meaning: not well-known (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The prefix un- functions as a negation, similar to the English prefix 'un-'.
Which one should you use?
If you mean 'obscure' in the sense of a person or thing that is not well-known, unbekannt is a more natural choice than unklar.
Did you know?
- While unklar describes a lack of clarity, the German word for 'obscure' in a physical or artistic sense, like a dim room, is often düster, which also carries the meaning of 'gloomy' or 'sinister'.
- In German, if a situation is completely obscure or unclear, people often use the idiom im Dunkeln tappen, which means 'to grope in the dark'.
- The root of unklar, which is klar, shares a history with the English word 'clarity' and the musical term 'clarinet'.
Examples in context
- Die Bedeutung dieses Satzes ist unklar.The meaning of this sentence is obscure.This sentence is useful for describing how the meaning of a specific sentence is obscure using unklar.Tatoeba #675874 by Manfredo, translation #44123 by CM
- Die Bedeutung ist mir immer noch unklar.The meaning is still obscure to me.This sentence shows how to express that a meaning remains obscure to someone using unklar.Tatoeba #2447208 by Lars224, translation #249809 by CM
- Das ist ein eher unbekannter Künstler.This is a rather obscure artist.
- Seine Vergangenheit bleibt dunkel.His past remains obscure.
- Hast du schon mal von diesem Film gehört? Er ist eher unbekannt.Have you heard of this movie? It's rather obscure.
- Der Ursprung der Geschichte ist unklar.The origin of the story is obscure.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Julian are discussing a rare book.
- JuliaWer hat dieses unklare Buch geschrieben?Who wrote this obscure book?
- JulianIch weiß es leider nicht, Julia.Unfortunately, I do not know, Julia.
- JuliaEs scheint aus einer anderen Zeit zu sein.It seems to be from another time.
- JulianDas macht es noch interessanter, Julian findet es toll.That makes it even more interesting, Julian thinks it is great.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry unklar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries unklar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
