obfuscate
- To make something unclear, confusing, or difficult to understand, often deliberately.
- To darken or obscure something physically (rare, literary use).
In a sentence
- The politician's lengthy answer seemed designed to obfuscate rather than clarify the issue.
- Dense legal jargon can obfuscate the simple rights that a contract is meant to convey.
Usage note. Obfuscate strongly implies intentionality; if the confusion is accidental, 'confuse' or 'muddle' is usually more accurate.
Where it comes from
English obfuscate · entered English mid-16th c.
From Latin obfuscatus, past participle of obfuscare, meaning 'to darken or obscure,' from ob- ('over, against') and fuscus ('dark, dusky'). The word entered English in the mid-16th century.