obfuscate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
obfuscates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
obfuscated,
past participle, past
-
obfuscating
present participle
-
to make unclear or hard to understand, especially deliberately.
Do not obfuscate the issue with irrelevant detail.
-
to confuse or bewilder.
The authors achieve their purpose without obfuscating the reader by using too much technical terminology.
- Antonyms:
- illuminate, clarify
-
to darken.
verb (used without object)
-
obfuscates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
obfuscated,
past participle, past
-
obfuscating
present participle
verb
-
to obscure or darken
-
to perplex or bewilder
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
obfuscatesimple
-
obfuscatessimple
-
have obfuscatedperfect
-
has obfuscatedperfect
-
am obfuscatingprogressive
-
are obfuscatingprogressive
-
is obfuscatingprogressive
-
have been obfuscatingperfect progressive
-
has been obfuscatingperfect progressive
Past
-
obfuscatedsimple
-
had obfuscatedperfect
-
was obfuscatingprogressive
-
were obfuscatingprogressive
-
had been obfuscatingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
Some people are experts at obfuscating the truth by being evasive, unclear, or obscure in the telling of the facts. The people who are good at obfuscating would include defense lawyers and teenagers asked about their plans for Saturday night. Although the verb obfuscate can be used in any case where something is darkened, less clear, or more obscure, it is most frequently used in reference to things like ideas, facts, issues, or the truth. The usual implied meaning is that this obfuscation is done deliberately. Politicians often obfuscate the truth about the issues to win support for their positions so they can win elections.
Vocabulary lists containing obfuscate
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
A Web of Lies
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“The estate has continued to obfuscate the claims processes,” a spokesperson for Harrods said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
You don’t get to walk into my courtroom, pretend that’s top of mind, then obfuscate when I ask why your office is still running illegally.
From Slate ● Mar. 20, 2026
Blanche also responded to two other files highlighted by Massie, saying those files do not obfuscate any substantive information.
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026
“I was completely OK with it,” she said, adding that the final report “did not in any way obfuscate anything.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2025
Firstly because he had no idea what obfuscate meant.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
It was a scene rarely seen in Western Washington, which so often obfuscates celestial phenomena with clouds stretching so far into the horizon you wonder if they ever end.
From Seattle Times ● May 11, 2024
“The ‘tech worker’ designation obfuscates a lot of ways that some of our coworkers are already in more precarious situations than others,” Emily Mazo said.
From Slate ● Nov. 17, 2022
Footage of desperate Afghans crowding airports, trying to escape, makes the urgency of the situation palpable, but it also obfuscates the logistics of Ghafari’s own exit and the questions of access and privilege it raises.
From New York Times ● Nov. 16, 2022
“It’s time to stop calling this a drought, because that obfuscates what’s happening here. Droughts are temporary. What we’re seeing is anything but temporary,” Udall said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2022
You drink St. Emilion or still hock; I drink water from the well or the cup that cheers but not obfuscates.
From Philistia by Grant Allen
The author now alleges that Euracare has "stalled and muddied and obfuscated" over the inquest and has requested Nigeria's Federal High Court block the inquiry.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
“Pratt running has kind of obfuscated the differences between Raman and Bass,” Mitchell said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
NordVPN also includes a solid set of core VPN features such as split tunneling, a kill switch, obfuscated servers and Double VPN routing.
From Salon ● Dec. 12, 2025
Like some previous videos released by the US government, a section of the boat is obfuscated for unspecified reasons.
From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2025
They acted slowly and without resolve, they backtracked, they obfuscated, they spoke with a small hesitant voice when what was needed was a howl.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Two months in, the rose-colored lenses are especially obfuscating.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
"They could be accessing these platforms with VPNs, or obfuscating their ages," Yasmin London, Global Online Safety Expert for Qustodio, said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
The idea that this has to be weighted down with law-review articles and footnotes and arcana about the history of a three-part test is a way of obfuscating, right?
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
Alliance sought a contempt order contending that the city was willfully obfuscating to cover up inadequate efforts to live up to its settlement.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
The art of so obfuscating his expression with words that neither his friends nor his enemies can come to any positive conclusion as to what he means.
From Mixed Faces by Roy Norton
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
