obfuscation

British  

/ ˌɒbfʌsˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of making something obscure, dark, or difficult to understand

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Explanation

The act of obscuring something to make it more difficult to understand is called obfuscation. Lawyers are sometimes accused of obfuscation, since legal contracts can be so difficult to understand. The word obfuscation is from the verb obfuscate, which itself comes from the Latin word obfuscare, meaning "to darken." The confusion that results when something is muddled or obfuscated is also called obfuscation. If you intentionally make something more complex or more difficult to see or understand, then you are guilty of obfuscation.

Example Sentences

With the Court divided 4-4, it was former Justice Anthony Kennedy who gave the chief justice — and obfuscation — the win.

From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026

"They did so through a tangled web of lies, obfuscation, and concealment."

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

If marriage is dependent on conditions that your boyfriend is unlikely to meet — and he accepts them — the delay and obfuscation may be your reality, your status quo.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 14, 2026

"South Yorkshire Police must see that this is another disgraceful example of the evasion and obfuscation of the last four decades," she said.

From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026

Thyon, thirteen years old and sharp as the point of a viper’s fang, had looked around him at the cryptic rituals and philosophies and seen it all as obfuscation cooked up to excuse that failure.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor