Definition of OBFUSCATE

Other Words from obfuscate

obfuscation \ ˌäb-(ˌ)fə-ˈskā-shən

\ noun

obfuscatory \ äb-ˈfə-skə-ˌtȯr-ē

, əb- \ adjective

Synonyms & Antonyms for obfuscate

Synonyms

Antonyms

Try to Understand the Roots of Obfuscate

To obfuscate something means to make it so that it isn't clear or transparent, much like dirty water makes it hard to see to the bottom of a pond. The verb shares its ob- root (meaning "over, completely") with obscure, another word that can refer to the act of concealing something or making it more difficult to see or understand. The rest of obfuscate comes from Latin fuscus, which means "dark brown" and is distantly related to our word dusk.

Examples of obfuscate in a Sentence

Politicians keep obfuscating the issues. Their explanations only serve to obfuscate and confuse.

Recent Examples on the Web

Law and custom have always purposefully obfuscated the fatherhood of certain categories of men: the slave owner, the priest, the colonizer, the soldier. — The Conversation, oregonlive.com, "Who’s is your daddy? It’s not all about DNA," 16 June 2019 In other words, the traditional machinery of quantum field theory, involving hundreds of Feynman diagrams worth thousands of mathematical terms, was obfuscating something much simpler. — Quanta Magazine, "A Jewel at the Heart of Quantum Physics," 17 Sep. 2013 Anti-trans activists and religious conservatives frequently try to obfuscate that number by claiming that suicidality is merely a symptom that comes along with being trans. — Teen Vogue, "How Trump's Anti-Transgender Policies Could Hurt Young People," 31 May 2019 Along with abusive experience blocking, Chrome 71 will also present a warning about sites that try to bill you without your full consent or obfuscate a billing structure. — Dani Deahl, The Verge, "Google releases Chrome 71 with features to block abusive ads," 5 Dec. 2018 As a key ally of the United States in the region, the kingdom’s rebranding also helps to obfuscate the imperialist alliance’s war on Yemen. — Rauza Khan, Teen Vogue, "Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Princess Have Been Praised For Being “Progressive” While Our Friend Spent Her Birthday in Jail," 10 Sep. 2018 But this obfuscates the excessive pension promises that politicians have made. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Why Your Pension Is Doomed," 19 July 2018 Global Vision Group uses an array of mechanisms designed to obfuscate its activities to coordinate with National Iranian Oil Co. to remit payment for oil being shipped to Syria, the Treasury alleged. — Samuel Rubenfeld, WSJ, "U.S. Puts Sanctions on Oil Network It Says Supports Syria’s Assad," 20 Nov. 2018 Still, the game's attempts at realism can at times obfuscate some narrative choices and arbitrarily deny others. — Daniel Starkey, Ars Technica, "Red Dead Redemption II review: Getting muddy in the wide-open frontier," 25 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'obfuscate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for obfuscate

borrowed from Late Latin obfuscātus, offuscātus, past participle of obfuscāre, offuscāre "to obscure, darken, depreciate," from Latin ob-, perfective prefix + -fuscāre, verbal derivative of fuscus "dark-colored, somber, dark-skinned or -complected" — more at ob-, dusk entry 1

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