obfuscate

tr.v., -cat·ed, -cat·ing, -cates.

1. To make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand: “A great effort was made . . . to obscure or obfuscate the truth” (Robert Conquest).
2. To render indistinct or dim; darken: The fog obfuscated the shore.

[Latin obfuscāre, obfuscāt-, to darken : ob-, over; see ob– + fuscāre, to darken (from fuscus, dark).]

obfuscation ob'fus·ca'tion n.
obfuscatory ob·fus'ca·to'ry (ŏb-fŭs'kə-tôr'ē, -tōr'ē, əb-) adj.

According to James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, we suffer from a distinct lack of clarity — of the air we breathe, and the figurative kind as well. He says that greenhouse gas emissions are warming up the globe, and that Bush administration officials are trying to keep him from speaking out about it:

"'They feel their job is to be this censor of information going out to the public,' he told The New York Times, noting that 'public concern is probably the only thing capable of overcoming the special interests that have obfuscated the topic.'"

Link: Gagged prophet: The Bush administration continues to ignore climate change while trying to silence government scientists

Posted February 5, 2006.

See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words.

To make unclear or confuse. See obfuscator and e-mail obfuscator.

Download Computer Desktop Encyclopedia to your iPhone/iTouch

verb

To make dim or indistinct: becloud, bedim, befog, blear, blur, cloud, dim, dull, eclipse, fog, gloom, mist, obscure, overcast, overshadow, shadow. See clear/unclear.

1) to cast into darkenss, obscure
2) to confuse, bewilder

IN BRIEF: To darken and make unclear.

The storm clouds soon obfuscated the shoreline.

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - formørke, forvirre, gøre uforståelig

Nederlands (Dutch)
verduisteren, benevelen, verbijsteren

Français (French)
v. tr. - obscurcir (sout)

Deutsch (German)
v. - vernebeln, verwirren

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - συσκοτίζω, θολώνω, μπερδεύω, μπουρδουκλώνω, σαστίζω, αφήνω άναυδο (κάποιον)

Italiano (Italian)
offuscare, disorientare, oscurare, ottenebrare, confondere

Português (Portuguese)
v. - ofuscar, toldar

Русский (Russian)
затемнять, запутывать

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - ofuscar

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - förvilla, förvirra, fördunkla, förmörka, komplicera

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
弄暗, 使迷乱, 使模糊

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 弄暗, 使迷亂, 使模糊

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 마음을 울적하게 하다 , 판단을 흐리게 하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 困惑させる, 不明瞭にする, 混乱させる, 当惑させる, わかりにくくする

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يشوش, يبهم‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮הביך, בלבל, ערפל‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.