ob·fus·cate

[ob-fuh-skeyt, ob-fuhs-keyt]
verb (used with object), ob·fus·cat·ed, ob·fus·cat·ing.
1.
to confuse, bewilder, or stupefy.
2.
to make obscure or unclear: to obfuscate a problem with extraneous information.
3.
to darken.

Origin:
1525–35; < Late Latin obfuscātus (past participle of obfuscāre to darken), equivalent to Latin ob- ob- + fusc(us) dark + -ātus -ate1

ob·fus·ca·tion, noun
ob·fus·ca·to·ry [ob-fuhs-kuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] , adjective
un·ob·fus·cat·ed, adjective


1. muddle, perplex. 2. cloud.


1. clarify.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To obfuscate
00:10
Obfuscate is an SAT word you need to know.
So is juxtapose. Does it mean:
to place close together, as for contrast
To reduce or lower, as in rank, office, reputation, or estimation; degrade.
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World English Dictionary
obfuscate (ˈɒbfʌsˌkeɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
1.  to obscure or darken
2.  to perplex or bewilder
 
[C16: from Latin ob- (intensive) + fuscāre to blacken, from fuscus dark]
 
obfus'catory
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

obfuscate
1536, from L. obfuscatus, pp. of obfuscare "to darken," from ob "over" + fuscare "to make dark," from fuscus "dark."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Your interpretations are supposed to clarify and improve understanding, not
  obfuscate issues and confuse lenders.
And still, you obfuscate without addressing the major point of the discussion.
To consider it as a culturally-determined phenomena would obfuscate a
  biological reality.
The purpose of speaking is to communicate, not to obfuscate.
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