OBFUSCATORY Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

obfuscatory

adjective

Definition of obfuscatory

as in incomprehensible

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 obfuscatory High tide has an obfuscatory effect. — Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for obfuscatory

Adjective

Stanton’s confession ends up being incomprehensible to anyone but himself—an irony that McCarthy, with his partiality for secret codes, seems to take great pleasure in.

— Max Callimanopulos, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
Sure, the story is incomprehensible, and Dylan is far from a great actor.

— Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of incomprehensible

Adjective

In one of the more puzzling developments of this broadcast cycle, ESPN and Aikman have yet to reach a contract extension even after the network finalized a new deal with Buck.

— Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
The details of the case were so puzzling as to be almost unbelievable, certainly unsolvable.

— Steve Belanger, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of puzzling

Adjective

Recent criticism The century-old restaurant guide is famous for its secrecy; its inspectors are anonymous and the company releases only vague information about their evaluation process.

— Henri Hollis, AJC.com, 20 Oct. 2026
The plaintiffs had argued those terms were vague, and that the council selectively used them to silence prominent critics, violating their First Amendment rights.

— Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of vague

Adjective

All the power of the government — investigative, technological, legal — has been thrown at finding these mysterious, diabolically clever ballot baddies.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
After all, what better place to reveal the mysterious professor’s identity than in the very magazine responsible for making the fictional detective an international sensation?

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of mysterious

Adjective

When the doors finally opened, nearly every player was sitting in front of his locker, most still in uniform, waiting to explain what seemed to be inexplicable.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Montanans are suffocating due to an affordability crisis, rising fuel prices and an inexplicable war.

— David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of inexplicable

Adjective

Her life may have been her language, formal, developed, indecipherable.

— Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Unfortunately, the full document was nigh-indecipherable—LLMs tend to explain their proofs in unhelpful ways, spending inordinate time on minor details while glancing past important steps.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of indecipherable

Adjective

Intriguing veterans Finally, some free agents have more nebulous WNBA futures.

— Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Of course, the West itself is a nebulous concept, one that was wholly absent from the ancient Greek and Roman luminaries who ground its canon.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of nebulous

Adjective

What came next would eventually turn an obscure Medicaid settlement into a criminal investigation.

— Christopher Spata, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026
There was very little original local production, and people were finding their favourite TV shows through obscure corners of the web.

— Annika Pham, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of obscure

Browse Nearby Words

obfuscating

obfuscatory

ob-gyn

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Obfuscatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obfuscatory. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of obfuscatory

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

asunder

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes