1
as in concealing
to keep secret or shut off from view
the investigative reporters obscured their real motives for visiting the company by pretending the story was about something else
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in blurring
to make dark, dim, or indistinct
when it isn't obscured by smog, the view of the city from the observatory can be spectacular
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of obscuring
An exhibition in Beijing delving into anonymity, a key code of the house stemming back to the founder Martin Margiela’s Greta Garbo-like ways — and the face-obscuring masks that have been a feature of the brand since the Belgian maverick arrived on the international fashion scene.
—
Miles Socha, Footwear News, 10 Feb. 2026
The shooters were in the parked Chevrolet Equinox for three minutes and 19 seconds before getting out, carrying rifles and with fabric obscuring their faces.
—Emerson Clarridge
updated February 6, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2026
An Alberta public inquiry found that the cash to support pipeline opposition flowed to Canadian environmental activist groups through American charities, obscuring the identity of the donors.
—Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
Many women cartographers used only a first initial and last name, obscuring their gender and making their work difficult to trace.
—Melinda Laituri, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
But Lacombe says that national data could be obscuring smaller trends that are underway in parts of the country.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026
This team realized that finding the wake of a quark would be simpler if there were no second quark obscuring it.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Gut and go Many states across the country have rules prohibiting lawmakers from obscuring their intent by shuttling legislation through unrelated shell bills.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2026
Corporate filings link the entity to a general business services firm, obscuring the owner’s identity.
—Aarón Torres, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026
Miles Socha, Footwear News, 10 Feb. 2026
The shooters were in the parked Chevrolet Equinox for three minutes and 19 seconds before getting out, carrying rifles and with fabric obscuring their faces.
—Emerson Clarridge
updated February 6, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2026
An Alberta public inquiry found that the cash to support pipeline opposition flowed to Canadian environmental activist groups through American charities, obscuring the identity of the donors.
—Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
Many women cartographers used only a first initial and last name, obscuring their gender and making their work difficult to trace.
—Melinda Laituri, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
But Lacombe says that national data could be obscuring smaller trends that are underway in parts of the country.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026
This team realized that finding the wake of a quark would be simpler if there were no second quark obscuring it.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Gut and go Many states across the country have rules prohibiting lawmakers from obscuring their intent by shuttling legislation through unrelated shell bills.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2026
Corporate filings link the entity to a general business services firm, obscuring the owner’s identity.
—Aarón Torres, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obscuring
Verb
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Within days of these online solicitations, the August 10 incident occurred where the suspect arrived at the victim’s address wearing a mask and gloves, possibly concealing a firearm and inquired about the victim.—
Greg Norman-Diamond,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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The Iranian economy is a grand hall of mirrors, concealing criminal theft on an epic scale.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The researchers warned that while the idea of workers taking on more tasks voluntarily could seem ideal, nonstop work has the potential to lead to problems down the line, including blurring the boundary between work and non-work, as well as burnout and cognitive fatigue.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
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The almost imperceptible pigment is an immediate boost of pore- and fine line-blurring prowess.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Both teens are hiding secrets; Johnny, a potentially devastating injury and Shannon, a troubled and violent homelife.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
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The discovery of unusually warm molecular hydrogen in these LLAGN is a testament to the unexpected complexity hiding in plain sight.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Simon also said that darkening retail doors can be filled by growing businesses as Life Time health clubs, House of Sports, which is a relatively new concept from Dick’s Sporting Goods, and space can be repurposed to mixed uses, including outdoor uses.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
3 Feb. 2026
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Use room-darkening shades and blackout curtains to prevent light from seeping in to interrupt your shut-eye.—
Kylie Petty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In a media landscape increasingly defined by power and influence, the emails offer journalists a cautionary tale and a road map for covering the elite.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
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Venevision, which like most private networks dropped coverage critical of the government in recent years, has reopened its airwaves to anti-government voices, covering opposition leader María Corina Machado's every move in Washington since Maduro's capture.—
EGINA GARCIA CANO,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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By his third season, rumors of Sane’s departure and injuries surfaced, clouding his trajectory.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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The study showed that insurers paid investors $680 million in dividends and accepted $951 million in capital contributions from affiliates, clouding regulators’ abilities to determine insurers’ actual financial health.—
Ron Hurtibise,
Sun Sentinel,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Carnival plays out in the movie’s background, adding life and music as well as disguising crimes perpetrated by those in power.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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People describing themselves as constitutional observers tell WCCO that in the past week, reports of ICE agents disguising themselves have flooded in from the Twin Cities Metro and rural areas of the state.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And Hanceville’s fate is as murky as the fog that pours in at night, blotting out buildings and blackening the road ahead.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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These tungsten atoms would then condense on the slightly cooler inside of the glass bulb, blackening it and dimming the light over time.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obscuring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obscuring. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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