obfuscation

English

Etymology

From Middle English obfuscacioun, from Latin obfuscātiō, obfuscātiōnem, from obfuscāre (“to darken”), from ob (“over”) + fuscāre (“to make dark”), from fuscus (“dark”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌɒb.fəˈskeɪ.ʃən/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

obfuscation (countable and uncountable, plural obfuscations) (formal)

1. (uncountable) The 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.
   • 2023 August 25, Nandini Rathi, “Making of the Mahatma: How Gandhi became a US news star in the 1930s”, in The Indian Express‎^[1]:

     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.

   1. (computing, uncountable) The alteration of computer code to preserve its behavior while concealing its structure and intent.

      You need to turn on obfuscation for these classes.

2. (uncountable) Confusion, bewilderment, or a baffled state resulting from something obfuscated, or made more opaque and muddled with the intent to obscure information.
3. (countable) A 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.

Related terms

• obfuscate
• obfuscatory

Translations

act or process of obfuscating, or obscuring the perception of something

• Bulgarian: замъгляване n (zamǎgljavane)
• French: obscurcissement (fr) m
• German: Verdunkelung (de) f, Vernebelung f, Verschleierung (de) f
• Greek: συσκότιση (el) f (syskótisi)
• Portuguese: ofuscamento (pt) m
• Turkish: gizleme (tr), perde çekme

confusion, bewilderment, or a baffled state resulting from something obfuscated

• Bulgarian: объркване (bg) n (obǎrkvane)
• German: Verdunkelung (de) f, Vernebelung f
• Greek: συσκότιση (el) f (syskótisi), σύγχυση (el) f (sýnchysi)
• Portuguese: ofuscamento (pt) m
• Turkish: şaşırtma (tr)

intentionally obscuring the meaning of something to make it more difficult to grasp

• German: Vernebelung f, Verschleierung (de) f
• Greek: θόλωση (el) f (thólosi)
• Portuguese: ofuscamento (pt) m
• Turkish: perde çekme, şaşırtma (tr)

alter computer code, preserving its behavior but concealing its structure and intent

• French: obfuscation (fr) f
• German: Entstellung f

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English obfuscation.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔp.fys.ka.sjɔ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

obfuscation f (plural obfuscations)

1. (programming) obfuscation