obfuscate
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obfuscate
- /ˈɒbfəskeɪt/ UK
- /ˈɑbfəskeɪt/ US, dialectal
- /ˈɑbfjuskeɪt/ US, dialectal
- /ˈɒbfəskeɪt/ Canada, dialectal
- /ˈɒbfəskæɪt/ New Zealand
- [ˈɔ̟bfəskæɪt] New Zealand
Where it comes from
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”).
verb obfuscates · obfuscating · obfuscated · obfuscate
-
To make dark; to overshadow.
The squid's ink obfuscated its presence.
Similar: darken, eclipse, overshadow
- To deliberately make more confusing in order to conceal the truth. obfuscate facts
- 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.
adjective more obfuscate · most obfuscate
- Obfuscated; darkened; obscured. 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
Thesaurus
Translations
Every language
verb make dark
| Español | ofuscar |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 弄暗 nòng'àn |
| Português | ofuscar |
| Français | obscurcir |
| Deutsch | verfinstern, verdunkeln, dunkel machen |
| Italiano | ottenebrare, offuscare |
| Română | întuneca, umbri |
| Русский | затемня́ть zatemnjátʹ, затемни́ть zatemnítʹ |
| العربية | يُعَتّم yuʕattim |
| עברית | החשיך hekhshíkh |
verb make confusing
| Español | ofuscar |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 混淆 hùnxiáo, 弄亂 /弄乱 nòngluàn, 搞亂 /搞乱 gǎoluàn |
| Português | ofuscar |
| Français | embrouiller |
| Deutsch | verdunkeln, verschleiern |
| Italiano | offuscare, ottenebrare |
| Română | confunda, încurca, zăpăci |
| Русский | запу́тывать zapútyvatʹ, запу́тать zapútatʹ, сбива́ть с то́лку sbivátʹ s tólku, сбить с то́лку sbitʹ s tólku, темни́ть temnítʹ |
| עברית | בלבל bilbél, סיבך sibékh, הקשה hikshá |
Talk about this word "obfuscate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/obfuscate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. obfuscate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/obfuscate "obfuscate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/obfuscate.Cite this
@misc{obfuscate_2026,
title = {obfuscate},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/obfuscate},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
