obfuscate

American  

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

verb (used with object)

• obfuscates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• obfuscated,
  past participle,  past
• obfuscating
  present participle

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)

• obfuscates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• obfuscated,
  past participle,  past
• obfuscating
  present participle

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

Derived Forms

• obfuscation
  noun
• obfuscatory
  adjective
• unobfuscated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• obfuscating
  present
• obfuscated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• obfuscate
  simple
• obfuscates
  simple
• have obfuscated
  perfect
• has obfuscated
  perfect
• am obfuscating
  progressive
• are obfuscating
  progressive
• is obfuscating
  progressive
• have been obfuscating
  perfect progressive
• has been obfuscating
  perfect progressive

Past

• obfuscated
  simple
• had obfuscated
  perfect
• was obfuscating
  progressive
• were obfuscating
  progressive
• had been obfuscating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will obfuscate
  simple
• will have obfuscated
  perfect
• will be obfuscating
  progressive
• will have been obfuscating
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

obfuscate obfuscates obfuscated obfuscating

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

“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 ● Dec. 20, 2025

While Ferguson gets ample time to obfuscate, other, better scholars get little time to squeeze in some truth.

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2025

This is the latest of Wall Street’s never-ending efforts to hide, complicate and obfuscate fees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 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

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

But the persistence of the chemical myth of depression obfuscates this kind of decision-making.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 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

It obscures personal intention, neutralizes discrimination, and obfuscates individual purpose.

From Public Opinion by Walter Lippmann

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

Like most proprietary software, Claude’s source code is usually obfuscated and hard to reverse engineer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026

To use obfuscated servers with NordVPN, you need to switch your VPN protocol to NordWhisper.

From Salon ● Mar. 27, 2026

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

"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

Lawyers for the group contended that the city was obfuscating to cover up its inadequate efforts to comply with its settlement.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026

DiNanno said the Chinese military “sought to conceal testing by obfuscating the nuclear explosions because it recognized these tests violate test ban commitments.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026

And if creators can get their subjects to participate only by obfuscating what they intend to do, the end result cannot be totally true.

From Slate ● Oct. 13, 2025

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