obfuscate

verb

ob·​fus·​cate ˈäb-fə-ˌskāt 

äb-ˈfə-ˌskāt,

əb-

obfuscated; obfuscating

transitive verb

1

a

: to throw into shadow : darken

b

: to make obscure

obfuscate the issue

officials who … continue to obscure and obfuscate what happened

—Mary Carroll

2

: confuse

obfuscate the reader

intransitive verb

: to be evasive, unclear, or confusing

The suspect often obfuscated during the interrogation.

obfuscation

ˌäb-(ˌ)fə-ˈskā-shən 

noun

obfuscatory

äb-ˈfə-skə-ˌtȯr-ē 

əb-

adjective

Did you know?

Try to Understand the Roots of Obfuscate

“Hello darkness, my old friend / I’ve come to talk with you again.” So begins the classic 1960s Simon and Garfunkel song “The Sound of Silence,” which was written by Paul Simon with a seemingly oxymoronic title that has obfuscated—that is, confused—ten thousand people, maybe more (probably a lot more) in the decades since. It confuses us too, but we’re not above being oxymoronic ourselves when we say that darkness, our old friend, shines a helpful light on the meaning of the word obfuscate. When obfuscate first came into use in the early 16th century, it was with the meaning “to throw into shadow.” This makes sense, since the word comes from the Latin obfuscāre (“to obscure or darken”) which itself comes in part from fuscus (“dark-colored”). The word was used for both figurative and literal darkening before developing the even more figurative senses of “to make more difficult to understand,” “to be evasive or unclear,” and “to confuse,” which in modern use are now more common.

Synonyms

• becloud
• befog
• blur
• cloud
• confuse
• fog
• muddy

Examples of obfuscate in a Sentence

Politicians keep obfuscating the issues.

Their explanations only serve to obfuscate and confuse.

Recent Examples on the Web

One of the measures would have extended the existing parcel tax and added an inflation escalator, a detail the district obfuscated in the ballot language. —Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial, The Mercury News, 2 Nov. 2024

Instead, the Sixers appear to have been fined for obfuscating his injury status with their public comments. —Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

That decision, as well as murmurs of a potential Cam Fowler trade, the continued presence of two professional tryouts in camp and whether the Ducks carry 13 or 14 forwards are all moving parts that obfuscate exactly what the opening-night roster might look like. —Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 1 Oct. 2024

Allies of the former President sought to turn that certification—traditionally, a formality—into a chance for Congress to undo, delay, or obfuscate his loss. —The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin obfuscātus, offuscātus, past participle of obfuscāre, offuscāre "to obscure, darken, depreciate," from Latin ob-, perfective prefix + -fuscāre, verbal derivative of fuscus "dark-colored, somber, dark-skinned or -complected" — more at ob-, dusk entry 1

First Known Use

1536, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

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