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obfuscate

ˈɑːbfəˌskeɪtverb

What does obfuscate mean?

To make something harder to understand, usually on purpose.

Obfuscate, six ways

PlainTo make something harder to understand, usually on purpose.
ADHDMuddy it on purpose. Hide the point. Confuse.
Gen ZTo bury the point under fancy words so nobody can call you on it.
MetaphorStirring up the silt so no one can see the bottom of the pond.
FormalTo render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible, especially deliberately.
Like I’m 5To make something confusing on purpose, so people can’t understand it. That’s to obfuscate.

How to pronounce obfuscate

OB-fuh-skayt/ˈɑːbfəˌskeɪt/

Obfuscate in a sentence

The report obfuscates more than it explains.
Don’t obfuscate; just tell me what happened.
Legal jargon can obfuscate simple terms.

Synonyms for obfuscate

obscureMake unclear, less deliberately.
muddyCasual; make murky.
confusePlainer.

Where obfuscate comes from

Latin. Obfuscare, to darken, from fuscus, dark.

Good to know

Usually deliberate. The noun is obfuscation; the opposite is clarify.

Obfuscate meaning, on a Gloss card: To make something harder to understand, usually on purpose.

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