obfuscate
/ˈɒb.fəs.keɪt/ IELTSAcademic
verb
To make something unclear or hard to understand. People often use it for writing, speech, code, or explanations.
- The report was obfuscated by technical jargon.
- Don't obfuscate the issue with vague answers.
- The code was obfuscated to hide its logic.
Adinary Nuance
Obfuscate is stronger and more formal than confuse or complicate. It often suggests a deliberate choice to hide meaning, not just a mistake or accident. Writers use it when someone makes something harder to understand on purpose.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- làm mờ nghĩa
- Spanish
- obfuscar
- Chinese
- 使模糊
- Japanese
- あいまいにする
- Korean
- 모호하게 하다
Etymology
From Latin obfuscare, meaning “to darken.” It entered English in the 16th century and later became common in formal writing.
Common phrases
obfuscate the issueobfuscate the meaningobfuscate the codeobfuscate the facts
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is obfuscate formal or informal?
- It is formal and often appears in writing, business, law, or technology.
- What is the difference between obfuscate and confuse?
- Confuse can happen by accident. Obfuscate often suggests someone is hiding the meaning on purpose.
- Can I use obfuscate in everyday speaking?
- Yes, but it may sound careful or formal. In casual speech, people often say “make it confusing.”
- Is obfuscate used in computer science?
- Yes. It can describe code that is made hard to read or understand.