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

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

From The Wall Street Journal

It also provides obfuscated servers, but obfuscation isn’t enabled across the board.

From Salon

However, it can still benefit from the privacy and security benefits of encryption or obfuscated servers, particularly in regions that heavily restrict internet access.

From Salon

No, their GPS coordinates have been disrupted, obfuscating their true location.

From BBC

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