as in ambiguous
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as in confused
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 obfuscated
Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 1 June 2026
The initial script is heavily obfuscated to avoid detection by antivirus tools.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Crucially, there are real-world exploits like University of California, San Diego’s (UCSD) Imprompter, which had nearly an 80% success rate in extracting personal data via obfuscated prompts.
—Camellia Chan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
No wonder the numbers are obfuscated.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
Crypto transactions are recorded on a ledger that anyone can see and cannot be altered or obfuscated.
—Nic Puckrin, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
Every moment of euphoria is obfuscated by distortion, every pop impulse is undercut by squealing dissonance.
—Colin Joyce, Pitchfork, 18 Mar. 2026
At points, smoke obfuscated everyone on stage except for Reznor — who didn’t speak to the crowd except to introduce the touring band.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2026
So their needs may be obfuscated, obscured even, from them!
—Big Think, 10 Feb. 2026
Though some investors like lottery winner Edwin Castro have made headlines by purchasing multiple lots, the process is largely opaque and the names of the buyers are obfuscated by limited liability companies, or LLCs, Fairweather said.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
The script then runs obfuscated PowerShell code filled with junk instructions to throw researchers off.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Dec. 2025
Adjective
The packages execute an obfuscated payload that can run during the npm install process, which occurs before a developer imports or actually uses the package in a production environment.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 1 June 2026
The initial script is heavily obfuscated to avoid detection by antivirus tools.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Crucially, there are real-world exploits like University of California, San Diego’s (UCSD) Imprompter, which had nearly an 80% success rate in extracting personal data via obfuscated prompts.
—Camellia Chan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
From here, things get hazy because the details are missing—or at least highly obfuscated.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
No wonder the numbers are obfuscated.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
Crypto transactions are recorded on a ledger that anyone can see and cannot be altered or obfuscated.
—Nic Puckrin, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
Every moment of euphoria is obfuscated by distortion, every pop impulse is undercut by squealing dissonance.
—Colin Joyce, Pitchfork, 18 Mar. 2026
At points, smoke obfuscated everyone on stage except for Reznor — who didn’t speak to the crowd except to introduce the touring band.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2026
So their needs may be obfuscated, obscured even, from them!
—Big Think, 10 Feb. 2026
Though some investors like lottery winner Edwin Castro have made headlines by purchasing multiple lots, the process is largely opaque and the names of the buyers are obfuscated by limited liability companies, or LLCs, Fairweather said.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
The script then runs obfuscated PowerShell code filled with junk instructions to throw researchers off.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obfuscated
Adjective
-
As the noise-rap-electro act Jane Remover shrieked and pleaded through a 90-minute marathon set at the Fonda on Thursday night, one very young couple dressed right out of a conservative‘s nightmare — gender-ambiguous, purple hair, facial piercings — tapped me on the shoulder.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
At a billion scans a month, even modest rates imply hundreds of millions of ambiguous results a year, each one demanding a clinical decision and producing a worried customer.—
Gabriel Alin Zainescu,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
Some women who filed lawsuits against Ortega reported they had been confused about whether demeaning or uncomfortable actions the doctor engaged in during exams was within the bounds of necessary medical behavior.—
Emily Hoerner,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
-
MacT’s ability to communicate and his intelligent verbal should not be confused for a soft approach.—
Allan Mitchell,
New York Times,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
Her cryptic visions eventually lead her to Daniel and Hugo (Colman Domingo), an advocate for alien disclosure.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
-
Its plight is spelled out in securities filings containing cryptic language.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Spielberg, who inducted the singer-songwriter into the Hall of Fame, praised the power of authentic storytelling in an age increasingly blurred by algorithms and artificial intelligence.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
-
The lines defining where a digital transaction ends and a physical retail experience begins have blurred into irrelevance.—
Fairchild Studio,
Footwear News,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
The interlocking puzzle of the iPhone, GPS and Google Maps was a moment when multiple strands of technological development, some of them obscure and many with deep links to the US military, converged into a single life-changing package.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
-
What has changed in recent years, however, is that prediction markets are no longer an obscure pastime enjoyed by political junkies.—
Matt Motta,
The Conversation,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Citing a Civil Defense Authority source, the Yemeni news agency Saba reported that the recovery effort was complicated by the crater’s rugged terrain, significant depth, and intense heat.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
-
But the inability to coalesce behind a GOP nominee has complicated the path forward.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
The novel is built around an encounter between the mysterious title character and a music hall aficionado in London in 1938, the year before World War II.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 June 2026
-
In actuality, its premise falls closer to Apple’s Palm Royale or the 2010s ABC drama Revenge, following a mysterious outsider trying to gain a foothold among the elite.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Though Pepi’s exact net worth is unclear, his earnings have likely climbed into the seven figures in recent years through club contracts, performance bonuses, and endorsements, including with Fortune 500 brands like Home Depot, Allstate, and Dick’s Sporting Goods.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
-
How such a system could be replicated in a nation of tens or hundreds of millions is unclear, although Landemore sees encouraging signs in advisory citizen councils that have been convened in Canada, Ireland, Iceland, and France.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obfuscated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obfuscated. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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