obfuscate

[ ob-fuh-skeyt, ob-fuhs-keyt ]
See synonyms for: obfuscateobfuscatedobfuscation on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),ob·fus·cat·ed, ob·fus·cat·ing.
  1. to make unclear or hard to understand, especially deliberately: Do not obfuscate the issue with irrelevant detail.

  2. to confuse or bewilder: The authors achieve their purpose without obfuscating the reader by using too much technical terminology.

  1. to darken.

verb (used without object)ob·fus·cat·ed, ob·fus·cat·ing.
  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.

Origin of obfuscate

1
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

Other words for obfuscate

Opposites for obfuscate

Other words from obfuscate

  • ob·fus·ca·tion [ob-fuh-skey-shuhn], /ˌɒb fəˈskeɪ ʃən/, noun
  • ob·fus·ca·to·ry [ob-fuhs-kuh-tawr-ee], /ɒbˈfʌs kəˌtɔr i/, adjective
  • un·ob·fus·cat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use obfuscate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for obfuscate

obfuscate

/ (ˈɒbfʌsˌkeɪt) /


verb(tr)
  1. to obscure or darken

  2. to perplex or bewilder

Origin of obfuscate

1
C16: from Latin ob- (intensive) + fuscāre to blacken, from fuscus dark

Derived forms of obfuscate

  • obfuscatory, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012