Definition

1. Noun:
   • A deliberate act intended to make something obscure: The practice of deliberately preventing the facts or full details of something from being known.
   • A policy of opposition to enlightenment or the spread of knowledge: The practice of deliberately withholding knowledge or hindering intellectual progress and clarity.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The government's obscurantism was evident in its censorship of scientific reports.
  • Critics accused the author of obscurantism, arguing his writing was needlessly complex to hide a lack of original ideas.

Advanced Usage

• "Intellectual obscurantism": The deliberate use of overly complex or ambiguous language in academic or philosophical discourse to appear profound or to conceal a lack of substance.

  • The professor dismissed the theory as mere intellectual obscurantism.

• "Religious obscurantism": The opposition to the spread of rational or scientific knowledge on religious grounds.

  • The movement was seen as a form of religious obscurantism, rejecting modern discoveries.

Variants and Related Words

• Obscurantist (noun): A person who practices or promotes obscurantism.

  • He was labeled an obscurantist for his attacks on public education.

• Obscurantist (adjective): Characterized by or promoting obscurantism.

  • The obscurantist policies of the regime kept the population in ignorance.

Synonyms

• Mystification: The action of making something obscure or mysterious.
• Censorship: The suppression or prohibition of speech or writing.
• Reactionism: Opposition to progress or liberalism.

Antonyms

• Enlightenment: The action of enlightening or the state of being enlightened.
• Clarification: The action of making a statement or situation less confused and more comprehensible.
• Transparency: The condition of being transparent; openness.

Related Phrases and Concepts

• "Veil of obscurantism": A metaphorical phrase describing something hidden by deliberate obscurity.

  • The truth was hidden behind a veil of obscurantism.

• "Fight against obscurantism": A common phrase denoting efforts to promote knowledge and combat deliberate ignorance.

  • The organization is dedicated to the fight against obscurantism.

Noun

1. a deliberate act intended to make something obscure
2. a policy of opposition to enlightenment or the spread of knowledge