Meanings
plural obfuscations
- formaluncountableThe act or process of obfuscating, or obscuring the perception of something; the concept of concealing the meaning of a communication by making it more confusing and harder to interpret.
1 more example
Until the 1920s, American newspapers heavily relied upon their London correspondents, the British Press and Reuters (which had a mutually beneficial, monopoly agreement with the Government of India for preferential access) for news about India. The news was hence generally from the British perspective and news obfuscation attempts on events that cast the Raj in a poor light, like details of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, usually succeeded.
2023 August 25, Nandini Rathi, “Making of the Mahatma: How Gandhi became a US news star in the 1930s”, in The Indian Express- formaluncountablecomputingThe alteration of computer code to preserve its behavior while concealing its structure and intent.
You need to turn on obfuscation for these classes.
- formaluncountableConfusion, bewilderment, or a baffled state resulting from something obfuscated, or made more opaque and muddled with the intent to obscure information.
- countableformalA single instance of intentionally obscuring the meaning of something to make it more difficult to grasp.
During the debate, the candidate sighed at his opponent's obfuscations.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounconfusion resulting from failure to understand
nounthe activity of obscuring people's understanding, leaving them baffled or bewildered
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinobfuscātiō, obfuscātiōnem
- Middle Englishobfuscacioun
- Englishobfuscation
From Middle English obfuscacioun, from Latin obfuscātiō, obfuscātiōnem, from obfuscāre (“to darken”), from ob (“over”) + fuscāre (“to make dark”), from fuscus (“dark”).
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic تَعْتِيم, تَشْوِيش
- تَعْتِيم (taʕtīm)alter computer code, preserving its behavior but concealing its structure and intent
- تَشْوِيش (tašwīš)act or process of obfuscating, or obscuring the perception of something
Bulgarian объркване, замъгляване
- объркване (obărkvane)confusion, bewilderment, or a baffled state resulting from something obfuscated
- замъгляване (zamăgljavane)act or process of obfuscating, or obscuring the perception of something
French obfuscation, obscurcissement
- obfuscationalter computer code, preserving its behavior but concealing its structure and intent
- obscurcissementact or process of obfuscating, or obscuring the perception of something
German Entstellung, Verdunkelung
- Entstellungalter computer code, preserving its behavior but concealing its structure and intent
- Verdunkelungconfusion, bewilderment, or a baffled state resulting from something obfuscated
- Vernebelungconfusion, bewilderment, or a baffled state resulting from something obfuscated
- Vernebelungintentionally obscuring the meaning of something to make it more difficult to grasp
- Verschleierungintentionally obscuring the meaning of something to make it more difficult to grasp
- Verdunkelungact or process of obfuscating, or obscuring the perception of something
- Vernebelungact or process of obfuscating, or obscuring the perception of something
- Verschleierungact or process of obfuscating, or obscuring the perception of something
Greek συσκότιση, σύγχυση
- συσκότιση (syskótisi)confusion, bewilderment, or a baffled state resulting from something obfuscated
- σύγχυση (sýnchysi)confusion, bewilderment, or a baffled state resulting from something obfuscated
- θόλωση (thólosi)intentionally obscuring the meaning of something to make it more difficult to grasp
- συσκότιση (syskótisi)act or process of obfuscating, or obscuring the perception of something
Portuguese ofuscamento, ofuscamento
- ofuscamentoconfusion, bewilderment, or a baffled state resulting from something obfuscated
- ofuscamentointentionally obscuring the meaning of something to make it more difficult to grasp
- ofuscamentoact or process of obfuscating, or obscuring the perception of something
Turkish şaşırtma, perde çekme
- şaşırtmaconfusion, bewilderment, or a baffled state resulting from something obfuscated
- perde çekmeintentionally obscuring the meaning of something to make it more difficult to grasp
- şaşırtmaintentionally obscuring the meaning of something to make it more difficult to grasp
- gizlemeact or process of obfuscating, or obscuring the perception of something
- perde çekmeact or process of obfuscating, or obscuring the perception of something
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with obfuscation
Cite this entry
obfuscation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obfuscation
“obfuscation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obfuscation. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “obfuscation,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obfuscation.
Source: obfuscation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.