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
At such times, many filmmakers turn their lenses to conflict, broaching urgent issues that often obfuscate conversations around the filmmaking itself.
—
Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 3 Dec. 2025
Director Antonio Campos shoots this exchange in the shadows, a choice that only obfuscates this pivotal moment further.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
Local students tend to know about the province’s nationalistic perspective, due to their high school curriculum, but this deliberately (and understandably) obfuscates the larger Canadian picture to try to foster a firmer attachment to Quebec’s language and culture.
—Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
The state says the foundation did this because Aerial Recovery, the nonprofit, had been obfuscating its name.
—Evan Mealins, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obfuscate
Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 3 Dec. 2025
Director Antonio Campos shoots this exchange in the shadows, a choice that only obfuscates this pivotal moment further.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
Local students tend to know about the province’s nationalistic perspective, due to their high school curriculum, but this deliberately (and understandably) obfuscates the larger Canadian picture to try to foster a firmer attachment to Quebec’s language and culture.
—Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
The state says the foundation did this because Aerial Recovery, the nonprofit, had been obfuscating its name.
—Evan Mealins, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obfuscate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obfuscate
confuse
Verb
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The sheer bulk of the suit might confuse the human eye from a distance, but in large open spaces, like snowfields, anything that looks a little odd will stand out.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Jan. 2026
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Many people confuse the center with Crossroads Church or Crossroad Health Center, Pelicano said.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obfuscate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obfuscate. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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