1
as in concealing
to keep secret or shut off from view
the investigative reporters obscured their real motives for visiting the company by pretending the story was about something else
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in blurring
to make dark, dim, or indistinct
when it isn't obscured by smog, the view of the city from the observatory can be spectacular
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obscuring
Instead, massive investment comes first, obscuring early gains.
—
Jason Ma, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2026
There are redactions all over, obscuring the names of those involved.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2026
Police in the Denver metro area are warning drivers that obscuring their license plates to avoid paying tolls could cost them more in the long run.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 15 Feb. 2026
Partially obscuring her face with her long platinum blonde waves, the star added a pair of black tennis shoes with white laces.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 11 Feb. 2026
An exhibition in Beijing delving into anonymity, a key code of the house stemming back to the founder Martin Margiela’s Greta Garbo-like ways — and the face-obscuring masks that have been a feature of the brand since the Belgian maverick arrived on the international fashion scene.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 10 Feb. 2026
The shooters were in the parked Chevrolet Equinox for three minutes and 19 seconds before getting out, carrying rifles and with fabric obscuring their faces.
—Emerson Clarridge
updated February 6, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2026
An Alberta public inquiry found that the cash to support pipeline opposition flowed to Canadian environmental activist groups through American charities, obscuring the identity of the donors.
—Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
Many women cartographers used only a first initial and last name, obscuring their gender and making their work difficult to trace.
—Melinda Laituri, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
Jason Ma, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2026
There are redactions all over, obscuring the names of those involved.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2026
Police in the Denver metro area are warning drivers that obscuring their license plates to avoid paying tolls could cost them more in the long run.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 15 Feb. 2026
Partially obscuring her face with her long platinum blonde waves, the star added a pair of black tennis shoes with white laces.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 11 Feb. 2026
An exhibition in Beijing delving into anonymity, a key code of the house stemming back to the founder Martin Margiela’s Greta Garbo-like ways — and the face-obscuring masks that have been a feature of the brand since the Belgian maverick arrived on the international fashion scene.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 10 Feb. 2026
The shooters were in the parked Chevrolet Equinox for three minutes and 19 seconds before getting out, carrying rifles and with fabric obscuring their faces.
—Emerson Clarridge
updated February 6, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2026
An Alberta public inquiry found that the cash to support pipeline opposition flowed to Canadian environmental activist groups through American charities, obscuring the identity of the donors.
—Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
Many women cartographers used only a first initial and last name, obscuring their gender and making their work difficult to trace.
—Melinda Laituri, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obscuring
Verb
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Deeann Bennett, 27, and Charles Bennett, 32, both of Booneville, were charged with reckless homicide and concealing the birth of an infant.—
Caroline Neal,
Louisville Courier Journal,
13 Feb. 2026
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Plaintiffs also accuse the companies of failing to warn users about the risks of using their products and of deliberately concealing their dangers.—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Together, these elements underscore the exhibition’s multivalent nature, blurring distinctions between sculpture and performance, object and instrument, stillness and activation.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Analysts also noted that the longstanding nexus between business leaders and politicians has been a mixed blessing in Bangladesh—often facilitating swift policy decisions to support industry, yet at times blurring lines between commercial and political interests.—
Mayu Saini,
Sourcing Journal,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Both teens are hiding secrets; Johnny, a potentially devastating injury and Shannon, a troubled and violent homelife.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
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The discovery of unusually warm molecular hydrogen in these LLAGN is a testament to the unexpected complexity hiding in plain sight.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Hope is a dimming ember lighting our ever-darkening path.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
11 Feb. 2026
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Simon also said that darkening retail doors can be filled by growing businesses as Life Time health clubs, House of Sports, which is a relatively new concept from Dick’s Sporting Goods, and space can be repurposed to mixed uses, including outdoor uses.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The publication has doubled its presence the last year in the US, covering national politics, media, sports, and other beats.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Bieber’s revealing cowl-neck design featured an open back, a side boob-baring bodice, and intricate beads covering her halterneck dress’s hips, chest, and a sheer peekaboo mesh panel inside.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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By his third season, rumors of Sane’s departure and injuries surfaced, clouding his trajectory.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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The study showed that insurers paid investors $680 million in dividends and accepted $951 million in capital contributions from affiliates, clouding regulators’ abilities to determine insurers’ actual financial health.—
Ron Hurtibise,
Sun Sentinel,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Carnival plays out in the movie’s background, adding life and music as well as disguising crimes perpetrated by those in power.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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People describing themselves as constitutional observers tell WCCO that in the past week, reports of ICE agents disguising themselves have flooded in from the Twin Cities Metro and rural areas of the state.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And Hanceville’s fate is as murky as the fog that pours in at night, blotting out buildings and blackening the road ahead.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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These tungsten atoms would then condense on the slightly cooler inside of the glass bulb, blackening it and dimming the light over time.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obscuring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obscuring. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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