obscuring

verb

present participle of obscure
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of obscuring Forward vision is excellent because there’s no roof, A-pillars, or much of anything obscuring your view (the only model above the Signature Edition, called the Grand Touring, does include a roof of sorts). — William Roberson, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 The glass is reeded and translucent, obscuring the line cooks behind it. — Alexis Benveniste, Architectural Digest, 27 Aug. 2026 For astronomers, these satellites would become a nightmare for observations, crowding out and obscuring fainter objects or even challenging the Milky Way’s prominence with their glare. — Arielle Frommer, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026 But blaming the technology risks obscuring the fact that humans write the code, select the data on which AI systems are trained, approve their use, and decide where and how they are deployed. — Shaun Harper, AJC.com, 18 Aug. 2026 But there were too many multiple traumas and trauma swappings that wound up obscuring the issues. — Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 15 Aug. 2026 In the video, the shooting officer’s arms and long gun block his camera’s view, obscuring Tucker in the moments before he was shot. — ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026 But dark jokes about a nearly half-century-old massacre have a way of obscuring its continuing relevance. — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026 For instance, DeBoyer has accused Benson of obscuring training materials for election officials from state lawmakers. — Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obscuring
  1. concealing
  2. blurring
  3. hiding
  4. darkening
  5. covering
  6. clouding
  7. disguising
  8. blackening
Verb
  • Since then, the front portico of the building has been covered by a construction tarp, concealing most of its name.
    — Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The group is accused of diverting association dues, insurance, loan proceeds and collection revenues (others fees such as fines or special assessments) while concealing the flow of the money.
    — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of concealing
Verb
  • Sure, some people like your reporting of each but FFS stop blurring them.
    — Art de Roché, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Meta could introduce technical solutions, like automatically blurring faces, as Google does in Street View images, but Szydlowski doubts Meta would voluntarily make such a privacy-conscious change without regulatory or public pressure.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of blurring
Verb
  • The trio were found hiding in a ditch about 200 yards from where they were pulled over, according to the news release.
    — Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026
  • After six months of war, the deadlock has left the Islamic Republic bitterly divided, while its ultimate arbiter, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, remains in hiding.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of hiding
Verb
  • The title references Black Like Me, white journalist John Howard Griffin’s 1961 nonfiction book about darkening his skin to pass for Black in the Jim Crow South.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026
  • During a total eclipse, the moon completely covers the face of the sun, darkening the sky and revealing just the sun’s outer atmosphere called the corona.
    — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of darkening
Verb
  • Pack a tube of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) in your first aid kit instead of antibiotic ointment and remember to flush all scrapes and cuts with copious amounts of clean water before covering them with the jelly.
    — Dr. Jill Grimes, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Ground surveys can provide more detailed information at a particular site, but covering an entire subway corridor that way would be difficult.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of covering
Verb
  • The detention of Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu on Thursday risks clouding Lusaka’s credentials as a relatively stable southern African democracy and denting investor confidence in Africa’s second-largest copper producer.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • In addition to the starters who have yet to practice for the Panthers, a couple of notable first- and second-year players have been sidelined recently, clouding the roster picture a bit.
    — Joseph Person, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of clouding
Verb
  • John is then abducted by a group led by an alien named Antaan, who tells him about the Manhunters—ancient synthetic predecessors to the Green Lantern Corps capable of disguising themselves as other species.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Pitchers are disguising their four-seamers up with more cutters in than ever before, so just advising him to be more aggressive in the zone is not good enough.
    — Eno Sarris, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of disguising
Verb
  • Check monthly for signs of shriveling (add moisture), blackening or softening (discard).
    — Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2026
  • The Volcano fire was among blazes this week, blackening more than 100 acres in Riverside County.
    — Joseph Serna, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of blackening

Browse Nearby Words

obscures
obscuring
obscurity
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Cite this Entry

“Obscuring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obscuring. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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