Meaning & use
obfuscate
To make something unclear, confusing, or difficult to understand, often deliberately.
See it in a sentence
The spokesperson seemed to obfuscate the real reason behind the company's sudden layoffs.
Legal documents sometimes obfuscate simple ideas behind unnecessarily complicated and old-fashioned language.
A note on using this word
Obfuscate is a formal, often critical word implying intentional confusion, unlike simply confuse, which need not be deliberate.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “obfuscate”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.