as in confuses
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 obfuscates
His bad-boy swagger externally obfuscates his heart of gold, but his goodness and morality are apparent.
—
Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
The president obfuscates or lies; the press contradicts him; the Pentagon’s own investigators find against him; senators of both parties demand answers; and the polls turn against the war.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 27 May 2026
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
Gating much of that control behind certain subscription tiers further obfuscates what’s possible.
—PC Magazine, 2 Sep. 2025
Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
The president obfuscates or lies; the press contradicts him; the Pentagon’s own investigators find against him; senators of both parties demand answers; and the polls turn against the war.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 27 May 2026
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
Gating much of that control behind certain subscription tiers further obfuscates what’s possible.
—PC Magazine, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obfuscates
Verb
-
There is a version of leadership that confuses visibility with impact, equating big initiatives and dramatic turnarounds with strong leadership.—
Monica Cutia,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
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The whole concept of toxic fandom confuses me because, outside of the anger and backwards thinking, because who cares about a movie franchise that much?—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The city is virtually certain to apply, but the lack of clarity surrounding the application blurs a key part of the stadium plan after the Royals’ celebratory announcement in April.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
10 June 2026
-
The uncertainty about who has legal jurisdiction over Alligator Alcatraz—the federal government or the state of Florida—blurs the lines of accountability and oversight.—
Eric Schlosser,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obfuscates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obfuscates. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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