obfuscate

[ob-fuh-skeyt, ob-fuhs-keyt] /ˈɒb fəˌskeɪt, ɒbˈfʌs keɪt/
verb (used with object), obfuscated, obfuscating.
1.
to confuse, bewilder, or stupefy.
2.
to make obscure or unclear:
to obfuscate a problem with extraneous information.
3.
to darken.
Origin
1525-35; < Late Latin obfuscātus (past participle of obfuscāre to darken), equivalent to Latin ob- ob- + fusc(us) dark + -ātus -ate1
Related forms
obfuscation, noun
obfuscatory
[ob-fuhs-kuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ɒbˈfʌs kəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/ (Show IPA), adjective
unobfuscated, adjective
Synonyms
1. muddle, perplex. 2. cloud.
Antonyms
1. clarify.
Examples from the web for obfuscate
  • Your interpretations are supposed to clarify and improve understanding, not obfuscate issues and confuse lenders.
  • To consider it as a culturally-determined phenomena would obfuscate a biological reality.
  • The purpose of writing is to communicate, not to obfuscate.
  • The purpose of speaking is to communicate, not to obfuscate.
  • And still, you obfuscate without addressing the major point of the discussion.
  • And, for the consumers, it serves only to obfuscate the critical information that regulators are trying to reach them with.
British Dictionary definitions for obfuscate

obfuscate

/ˈɒbfʌsˌkeɪt/
verb (transitive)
1.
to obscure or darken
2.
to perplex or bewilder
Derived Forms
obfuscatory, adjective
Word Origin
C16: from Latin ob- (intensive) + fuscāre to blacken, from fuscus dark
Word Origin and History for 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.