obscurity
n.the state of being unknown or forgotten by most people. It can also mean that something is very difficult to understand because it is not clear.
n.the state of being unknown, inconspicuous, or unimportant to the general public; alternatively, the quality of being difficult to understand due to lack of clarity. Often used to describe the career trajectory of artists or the density of a text.
“The singer lived in obscurity for years before her first hit.”
“Many brilliant scientific papers remain in obscurity because they are published in small, niche journals.”
“The poet's work was eventually rescued from obscurity by a dedicated scholar who recognized the revolutionary nature of the early manuscripts.”
Often follows the preposition 'in' to describe a person's social or professional status.
“Yet she had pioneered many of her enduring themes as a young artist in the 1960s before fading into temporary obscurity.”
“Lawson’s Channel F, though it laid the foundation for a console with a dynamic game library, faded into obscurity.”
From Middle English obscurite, obscuryte, from Middle French obscurité and its etymon Latin obscūritās. By surface analysis, obscure + -ity.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.