blurring
Edges becoming indistinct
Blurring is the process of making something less distinct or clear.
An image loses sharpness through blurring.
Boundaries undergo blurring when distinctions fade: the blurring of lines between work and personal life.
Vision blurring can signal eye strain or medical conditions.
The word captures both physical indistinctness and conceptual ambiguity.
Low-lying cloud cover
- mistFine airborne moisture
- hazeMurky atmospheric suspension
- smogSunlight-activated urban pollution
- steamHeated water's gaseous form
smoke · dust · vapor · gauze · film · cloudiness · murkiness · diffusion
Concealing by covering
- concealingKeeping something secret
- veilingConcealing with covering
- shroudingCovering to conceal
- cloudingMaking less transparent
dimming · obfuscating · screening · camouflaging · disguising · eclipsing · fogging · shadowing
Without clear direction
- fuzzySoft and unclear
- hazyUnclear, indistinct
- soft-focusIntentionally blurred imagery
- nearsightedPoor distance vision
astigmatism · eyestrain · squinting · defocused · out-of-focus · distorted · smeared · indistinct
Blending into one
- dissolvingPassing into solution
- erasingRemoving recorded marks
- softeningBecoming less firm
- meldingCombining into unity
fusing · overlapping · intermingling · bleeding · diffusing · gradation · transition · convergence
Running naked publicly
- panningLateral camera traverse
- whooshRushing air sound
- swooshRushing, sweeping sound
- trailingFollowing behind something
ghosting · smearing · whizzing · zooming · rushing · sweeping · long-exposure · kinetic
Becoming progressively less
- dissolvingPassing into solution
- vanishingCeasing to be visible
- dissipatingScattering and fading out
- evanescingGradually vanishing from perception
receding · softening · weakening · dimming · waning · melting · disappearing · transitioning
fog
Low-lying cloud cover
steam · smoke · dust · vapor · gauze · film · cloudiness · murkiness · diffusion · overcast
masking
Concealing by covering
- concealingKeeping something secret
- veilingConcealing with covering
- shroudingCovering to conceal
clouding · dimming · obfuscating · screening · camouflaging · disguising · eclipsing · fogging · shadowing · smudging
unfocused
Without clear direction
- fuzzySoft and unclear
- hazyUnclear, indistinct
- soft-focusIntentionally blurred imagery
nearsighted · astigmatism · eyestrain · squinting · defocused · out-of-focus · distorted · smeared · indistinct · bleary
merging
Blending into one
- dissolvingPassing into solution
- erasingRemoving recorded marks
- softeningBecoming less firm
melding · fusing · overlapping · intermingling · bleeding · diffusing · gradation · transition · convergence · integration
streaking
Running naked publicly
trailing · ghosting · smearing · whizzing · zooming · rushing · sweeping · long-exposure · kinetic · dynamic
diminishing
Becoming progressively less
- dissolvingPassing into solution
- vanishingCeasing to be visible
- dissipatingScattering and fading out
evanescing · receding · softening · weakening · dimming · waning · melting · disappearing · transitioning
- visibility changesappearing, disappearing, fading, emerging, vanishing
- editingediting, cut, copy, paste, delete
- cloudingfogging, hazing, misting, obscuring, veiling
- data privacydata privacy, GDPR, personal data, data protection, de-identification
- Beauty Claimsglow, shine, shimmer, radiance, luminosity
- censorshipbanned books, censored, banned, book banning, book bans
blurringsharpening
Making more cutting
focusing · clarifying · crisping · defining · cleaning
blurringclarifying
Making something understandable
elucidating · specifying · illuminating · articulating · pinpointing
blurringsharpening
Making more cutting
defining · distinguishing · demarcating · delineating · differentiating
- blurring the lines
- motion blurringMovement rendered as smear