as in to confuse
to make (something) unclear to the understanding
irrelevant matters that only serve to obfuscate the fundamental issue of guilt or innocence
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Recent Examples of obfuscate
So their needs may be obfuscated, obscured even, from them!
—
Big Think, 10 Feb. 2026
Lawyers for the group contend that the city is willfully obfuscating to cover up its inadequate efforts to live up to its settlement.
—Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Instead, DeSantis unleashed a rambling recap of the past seven years, with plenty of unsourced statistics, claims of victory that aren’t supported by reality, and wording often designed to obfuscate the most controversial parts of his tenure.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2026
While many of the more famous Champagne houses obfuscate the enormity of their output by declining to talk about quantities, Moutard made 19,488 bottles of 2013 Cuvee des 6 Cepages (plus 490 magnums and 30 jeraboams) and makes around 1,000 bottles of Arbane each year.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obfuscate
Big Think, 10 Feb. 2026
Lawyers for the group contend that the city is willfully obfuscating to cover up its inadequate efforts to live up to its settlement.
—Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Instead, DeSantis unleashed a rambling recap of the past seven years, with plenty of unsourced statistics, claims of victory that aren’t supported by reality, and wording often designed to obfuscate the most controversial parts of his tenure.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2026
While many of the more famous Champagne houses obfuscate the enormity of their output by declining to talk about quantities, Moutard made 19,488 bottles of 2013 Cuvee des 6 Cepages (plus 490 magnums and 30 jeraboams) and makes around 1,000 bottles of Arbane each year.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obfuscate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obfuscate
confuse
Verb
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In the fall of 2023, Yanxiao joined Tsinghua University, where his research confused professors who were accustomed to more conventional disciplinary lines.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
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But the notice sent last spring was so vague and confusing that few people used it to object.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obfuscate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obfuscate. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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