obscuration
Making something unclear
Obscuration is the act or process of making something obscure—harder to see, understand, or perceive clearly.
The word appears in technical contexts where obscure as a verb might sound awkward: atmospheric obscuration reduced visibility to half a mile, the obscuration of the sun during an eclipse.
It can also describe deliberate concealment: the obscuration of facts through misleading language.
Low-lying cloud cover
- mistFine airborne moisture
- hazeMurky atmospheric suspension
- smogSunlight-activated urban pollution
- overcastSky fully veiled
murkiness · clouds · vapor · steam · condensation · visibility · turbidity · nebulosity
Celestial body blocks another
- occultationCelestial body blocking another
- transitMovement between places
- coronaStar's outermost atmosphere
- totalityComplete aggregate amount
syzygy · solar · lunar · umbra · penumbra · celestial · conjunction · interposition
Deliberate concealment through confusion
- confusionMental disorientation or bewilderment
- ambiguityOpenness to multiple interpretations
- vaguenessAbsence of precision
- complexityState of being complicated
jargon · mystification · unintelligibility · opacity · abstruseness · muddling · equivocation · evasion
Concealment through visual blending
- disguiseIdentity-concealing alteration
- cover-upHiding wrongdoing from public
- hidingStaying out of sight
- maskingConcealing by covering
invisibility · stealth · secrecy · covert · clandestine · subterfuge · obfuscation · suppression
fog
Low-lying cloud cover
overcast · murkiness · clouds · vapor · steam · condensation · visibility · turbidity · nebulosity · spray
eclipse
Celestial body blocks another
- occultationCelestial body blocking another
- transitMovement between places
- coronaStar's outermost atmosphere
totality · syzygy · solar · lunar · umbra · penumbra · celestial · conjunction · interposition
obfuscation
Deliberate concealment through confusion
- confusionMental disorientation or bewilderment
- ambiguityOpenness to multiple interpretations
- vaguenessAbsence of precision
complexity · jargon · mystification · unintelligibility · opacity · abstruseness · muddling · equivocation · evasion
camouflage
Concealment through visual blending
- disguiseIdentity-concealing alteration
- cover-upHiding wrongdoing from public
- hidingStaying out of sight
masking · invisibility · stealth · secrecy · covert · clandestine · subterfuge · obfuscation · suppression · censorship
shadow
Light blocked by object
nightfall · twilight · dusk · penumbra · umbra · shade · lightlessness · murk · darkening
veil
Fabric that obscures
cover · mask · cloak · blindfold · canopy · tarpaulin · shade · filter · overlay · barrier
obscurationclarification
Making meaning plain
clarity · elucidation · illumination · explication · manifestation
obscurationrevelation
Surprising disclosed truth
disclosure · exposure · unveiling · uncovering · divulgence
obscurationillumination
Provision of light
light · brightening · lighting · irradiation · luminosity