What does "obfuscate" mean?

The term "obfuscate" means to deliberately make something unclear or difficult to understand. It comes from the Latin root "obfuscare," which means "to darken." In a practical sense, when someone obfuscates information, they may do so to confuse others or to hide the true meaning or intent behind the information. This action can often be observed in contexts such as politics, legal language, or even in everyday communications where people choose complex language or convoluted explanations to obscure their message. Thus, the answer highlighting the act of making something unclear directly defines the meaning of the word.