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obfuscate

[ob-fuh-skeyt, ob-fuhs-keyt]
verb (used with object), ob·fus·cat·ed, ob·fus·cat·ing.
  1. to confuse, bewilder, or stupefy.
  2. to make obscure or unclear: to obfuscate a problem with extraneous information.
  3. to darken.
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Origin of obfuscate

1525–35; < Late Latin obfuscātus (past participle of obfuscāre to darken), equivalent to Latin ob- ob- + fusc(us) dark + -ātus -ate1
Related formsob·fus·ca·tion, nounob·fus·ca·to·ry [ob-fuhs-kuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ɒbˈfʌs kəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, adjectiveun·ob·fus·cat·ed, adjective

Synonyms

1. muddle, perplex. 2. cloud.

Antonyms

1. clarify.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

bafflecomplicateperplexbewilderconcealbefuddlepuzzlemuddleconfoundrattlefogbecloudobscuredarkencloudfuddle
British Dictionary definitions for obfuscated

obfuscate

verb (tr)
  1. to obscure or darken
  2. to perplex or bewilder
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Derived Formsobfuscatory, adjective

Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for obfuscated

obfuscate

v.

1530s, from Latin obfuscatus, past participle of obfuscare "to darken," from ob "over" (see ob-) + fuscare "to make dark," from fuscus "dark" (see dusk). Related: Obfuscated; obfuscating.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper