clouding

verb

present participle of cloud
1
as in obscuring
to make dark, dim, or indistinct the diner's dark interior, clouded with smoke and grease

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in confusing
to make (something) unclear to the understanding cloud the issue with obscure statistics

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clouding Those are likely the discussions clouding the Panthers’ front office. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 2 Nov. 2026 Something about home or family could be distracting you in a way that’s clouding your read on your professional situation today. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026 Beyond the 2022 case dismissal, in other instances, charges were never filed, information has come out clouding an accuser’s story, or Brown has counter-sued for defamation — details which complicate each story. — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026 The detention of Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu on Thursday risks clouding Lusaka’s credentials as a relatively stable southern African democracy and denting investor confidence in Africa’s second-largest copper producer. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026 In addition to the starters who have yet to practice for the Panthers, a couple of notable first- and second-year players have been sidelined recently, clouding the roster picture a bit. — Joseph Person, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026 Then Kris drifts outside, her face clouding, followed by Billy. — Jp Mangalindan, Time, 10 Aug. 2026 What underlying assumptions are clouding my strategic judgment? — Simone Lundquist, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Wholesale inflation fell from May to June on plunging energy prices, but intensifying hostilities with Iran are clouding the outlook. — Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clouding
  1. obscuring
  2. confusing
  3. blurring
  4. obfuscating
  5. darkening
  6. muddying
  7. fogging
  8. complicating
Verb
  • Other finalists include photos of mist rolling over hills in Vietnam, a massive chunk of ice calving from a glacier in Argentina and smoke from wildfires obscuring the New York City skyline.
    — Jack Guy, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Spectral Lilac Lilac nods to early morning mist floating over an eerily still lake, or obscuring your path through a twisting forest.
    — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of obscuring
Verb
  • The Justice Department has argued in its suit that the name overlap risks confusing voters.
    — Willem Marx, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Cyan could theoretically fill the visual gap without confusing road users.
    — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of confusing
Verb
  • Saunders’s novel mixes his characters’ epitaph-like accounts of their lives and other dialogue with real text from the historical record, blurring the boundary between speech, which rises in living time, and writing, which exists outside it.
    — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Continue reading … FINANCIAL RED FLAG — Watchdog accuses DSA candidate of blurring charity, business and campaign.
    — , FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of blurring
Verb
  • Or are Waititi and co-writer Dahvi Waller deliberately obfuscating as some kind of middle finger to the audience?
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The lawsuit expanded on that, accusing the village of obfuscating the nature of the development during the earlier stages of approvals.
    — Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of obfuscating
Verb
  • Abdalla’s fall refresh enhances her brunette base by darkening her roots and replacing those golden ribbons with warm brunette tones for lived-in dimension.
    — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 20 Oct. 2026
  • But the security backdrop in the Strait of Hormuz is darkening even as rates fall.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of darkening
Verb
  • That penchant for scoring first in matches is another unsustainable quirk muddying Chelsea’s statistical waters.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Her father is also fighting as a soldier in the Ukrainian Army, further muddying things.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of muddying
Verb
  • Here’s how to tell why your windows are fogging up in the morning and what to do about it.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 28 Aug. 2026
  • In other words, Bessent is fogging up the very same windshield Warsh was attempting to get a clear view from.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of fogging
Verb
  • Liquid fuels can slosh around tanks, complicating spacecraft control.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The annual New York City Marathon — which attracts tourists and runners from all over the world while complicating surface transportation across all five boroughs — is typically a high-water mark for subway ridership.
    — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of complicating

Browse Nearby Words

cloudiness
clouding
cloudland
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Cite this Entry

“Clouding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clouding. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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