obfuscation
Britishnoun
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.
Vocabulary lists containing obfuscation
Paper Towns
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!
Flora and Ulysses
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!
Strange the Dreamer
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.
Cynics argue this is deliberate obfuscation; impenetrable language keeps average investors from seeing the simplicity of the underlying concepts or grasping unfavorable conditions.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 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
“It’s all pretext and obfuscation when the real agenda is rejecting conventional science and serving a predetermined anti-vaccine agenda,” Richard Hughes IV, a law professor at George Washington University, told The Guardian.
From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2026
It was dishonest to act like Margo hadn’t participated in her own obfuscation.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
Definitions 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.
