obfuscate

American  

[ob-fuh-skeyt, ob-fuhs-keyt] / ˈɒb fəˌskeɪt, ɒbˈfʌs keɪt /

verb (used with object)

obfuscated, obfuscating

1. to make unclear or hard to understand, especially deliberately.

   Do not obfuscate the issue with irrelevant detail.

   Synonyms:

   muddy, cloud

2. to confuse or bewilder.

   The authors achieve their purpose without obfuscating the reader by using too much technical terminology.

   Synonyms:

   perplex, muddle

   Antonyms:

   illuminate, clarify

3. to darken.

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verb (used without object)

obfuscated, obfuscating

1. to make something unclear or hard to understand, especially deliberately; speak or write evasively or obscurely.

   Notice how she obfuscates when asked directly about her conversations with the defendant.

obfuscate British  

/ ˈɒbfʌsˌkeɪt /

verb

1. to obscure or darken

2. to perplex or bewilder

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Other Word Forms

• obfuscation noun
• obfuscatory adjective
• unobfuscated adjective

Etymology

Origin of obfuscate

First recorded in 1525–35; from Late Latin obfuscātus “darkened,” past participle of obfuscāre “to darken,” from Latin ob- ob- + fusc(us) “dark” + -āre, infinitive suffix

Example Sentences

Google recently detected an even bigger threat in the wild: bot-enabled software that can obfuscate its own code to evade detection and create new malicious capabilities on the fly.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I was completely OK with it,” she said, adding that the final report “did not in any way obfuscate anything.”

From Los Angeles Times

“All the things I read in the final report did not in any way obfuscate anything, as far as I’m concerned.”

From Los Angeles Times

Robots may threaten ordinary human interactions while obfuscating what it means to be human.

From The Wall Street Journal

Like some previous videos released by the US government, a section of the boat is obfuscated for unspecified reasons.

From Barron's