obfuscate

The adjective is first attested in 1487, in Middle English, the verb in 1536; either borrowed from Middle French obfusquer, offusquer, from Old French offusquer, or directly from Late Latin obfuscātus, offuscātus, the perfect passive participle of obfuscō, offuscō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from Latin ob- + fuscō (“to darken”). Doublet of dusken (“to darken, make obscure”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɒbfəskeɪt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɑbfəskeɪt/

• Audio (US):

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obfuscate (third-person singular simple present obfuscates, present participle obfuscating, simple past and past participle obfuscated)

1. To make dark; to overshadow.
2. To deliberately make more confusing in order to conceal the truth.

   obfuscate facts

   Can weakness be really obfuscated?

   Before leaving the scene, the murderer set a fire in order to obfuscate any evidence of his identity.

   • 2018 February 13, Anonymous White House Official, “White House reels as FBI director contradicts official claims about alleged abuser”, in Washington Post:

     When asked if Kelly could have been more transparent or truthful, that official wrote: “In this White House, it’s simply not in our DNA. Truthful and transparent is great, but we don’t even have a coherent strategy to obfuscate.”

3. (computing) To alter code while preserving its behavior but concealing its structure and intent.

   We need to obfuscate these classes before we ship the final release.

• (to make dark): darken, eclipse, overshadow
• (to deliberately make more confusing): confuse, muddle, obscure

• (antonym(s) of “to deliberately make less confusing”): explain, simplify

• obfuscatable
• unobfuscatable

• obfuscation
• obfuscatory
• obfuscous

obfuscate (comparative more obfuscate, superlative most obfuscate)

1. (obsolete) Obfuscated; darkened; obscured.
   • 1531, Thomas Elyot, The Boke Named the Governour […], London: […] Tho[mas] Bertheleti, →OCLC:

     Also the vertues beynge in a cruell persone be nat only obfuscate or hyd : But also lyke wyse as norysshynge meates and drynkes in an sycke body