Definition of OBFUSCATED

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

Inspired by traditional Appalachian Sacred Harp singing, done a cappella, the track builds to a crescendo of voices that obfuscate the difference between human and machine, but which nonetheless elicits the biologically innate goosebump response. — Billboard Staff, Billboard, "The 32 Best Dance Songs of 2019 (So Far): Staff Picks," 27 June 2019 Sanders has obfuscated and stalled and deflected, providing effective cover for some of the president’s most misogynistic behavior. — Glamour, "I Cannot Tell a Lie—Sarah Huckabee Sanders Won't Be Missed," 18 June 2019 This lather-rinse-and-repeat cycle is especially useful at moments when there is other bad news to obfuscate. — Aziz Huq, Vox, "The faulty legal logic behind Trump’s birthright citizenship proposal.," 31 Oct. 2018 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

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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