1
as in obscuring
to make dark, dim, or indistinct
the diner's dark interior, clouded with smoke and grease
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in confusing
to make (something) unclear to the understanding
cloud the issue with obscure statistics
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of clouding
Development sends runoff into bays, further clouding the water.
—
Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
For Vuletic, the path out of the controversy clouding the contest has little to do with the rules.
—Andrew Jones, NBC news, 12 May 2026
While the economy has remained resilient, the Iran war is clouding the outlook.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
That’s according to Brian London, president of the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART) Association, who argues that misunderstandings and misplaced priorities are clouding the reality of how textile waste is actually managed today.
—Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 17 Apr. 2026
Development sends runoff into bays, further clouding the water.
—ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
Bond traders are grappling with unusually high levels of volatility, which is clouding the outlook for interest rate policies at the Bank of England and European Central Bank.
—Hugh Leask, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026
Oil prices have surged this month, raising concerns about energy inflation, clouding the outlook for central banks and posing headwinds for stocks.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
The war, now nearing the one-month mark, has raised concerns about inflation and slowing industrial activity across the world, clouding the demand outlook for metals.
—Bloomberg, 26 Mar. 2026
Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
For Vuletic, the path out of the controversy clouding the contest has little to do with the rules.
—Andrew Jones, NBC news, 12 May 2026
While the economy has remained resilient, the Iran war is clouding the outlook.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
That’s according to Brian London, president of the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART) Association, who argues that misunderstandings and misplaced priorities are clouding the reality of how textile waste is actually managed today.
—Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 17 Apr. 2026
Development sends runoff into bays, further clouding the water.
—ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
Bond traders are grappling with unusually high levels of volatility, which is clouding the outlook for interest rate policies at the Bank of England and European Central Bank.
—Hugh Leask, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026
Oil prices have surged this month, raising concerns about energy inflation, clouding the outlook for central banks and posing headwinds for stocks.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
The war, now nearing the one-month mark, has raised concerns about inflation and slowing industrial activity across the world, clouding the demand outlook for metals.
—Bloomberg, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clouding
Verb
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The event has been criticized as promoting Christian nationalism and obscuring the lines separating church and state.—
Chandelis Duster,
NPR,
17 May 2026
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Breaking up or obscuring the reflection makes the glass visible to birds, preventing them from hitting your windows.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Winners are chosen by a mix of votes from the two, translated into points by a system confusing even to Eurovision fans.—
Jill Lawless,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
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Clients hiring us for AI narrative work are under investor pressure to move fast, and the cost of confusing speed with substance will show up on their balance sheets.—
Kathleen Lucente,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Through Kongo’s intervention, the Cullinan evolves from luxury SUV into collectible contemporary artwork, blurring the boundaries between automotive craftsmanship, design and fine art.—
Matthew MacConnell,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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Its subtly blurring and hydrating formula results in a smooth and non-cakey finish.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Verb
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When The Star requested records related to ATO being placed on probation last year, the outcome letter KU provided was heavily redacted, completely obfuscating the narrative of the hazing allegations that university investigators found to be credible.—
Matthew Kelly
April 6,
Kansas City Star,
6 Apr. 2026
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The renderings, which showed an imposing new East Wing roughly a city block long, would be longer than the West Wing and almost completely obfuscating the view of the Treasury Building from the White House's South Lawn.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For a country that relies on crude oil and natural gas exports for a significant chunk of its budget revenue, these attacks are not only producing financial strain for the Kremlin but darkening the Russian people’s psychology as well.—
Daniel DePetris,
Twin Cities,
15 May 2026
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The shades of twilight in Badlands National Park would test the limits of a Crayola 64-pack—the darkening sky contrasted against multilayered rock formations changing colors in the dying light.—
Robert Annis,
Midwest Living,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Assets worth at least $1 million — which includes the vast majority of real estate in San Francisco — are also grouped together, further muddying the picture.—
Alyce McFadden,
San Francisco Chronicle,
2 Apr. 2026
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Also muddying the outlook for an end to the crisis is uncertainty about what the United States is trying to achieve.—
Paul Wiseman,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Then remove the spark plug and add a fogging oil or small quantity of Marvel Mystery oil to the cylinder and replace the spark plug.—
John Paul Senior Manager Public Affairs And Traffic Safety Aaa Northeast,
Hartford Courant,
17 Apr. 2026
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Why are my car windows fogging up on the inside?—
John Paul,
The Providence Journal,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Malaysia’s maritime agency says the transfers happen beyond its territorial waters and radar coverage, complicating enforcement efforts, while critics argue the nation is facilitating rather than merely tolerating the trade.—
Eileen Ng,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
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Because symptoms can take weeks to show up, additional cases could still emerge, complicating public health efforts to contact trace possible exposures and transmission chains.—
Lauren J. Young,
Scientific American,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clouding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clouding. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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