To render something obscure, unclear, or unintelligible; to deliberately confuse or conceal the truth.

Latin obfuscare (to darken), from ob- (over) + fuscare (to make dark), from fuscus (dark)

Obscure Muddy Confuse
Clarify Illuminate Explain
"Critics argued that the complex tiered GST structure with multiple slabs served to obfuscate the actual tax burden on consumers rather than simplify the indirect tax regime."

Use in GS2 Governance and GS4 Ethics answers when discussing lack of transparency in policy implementation, opaque bureaucratic language, or deliberate information suppression. Effective in answers on RTI, accountability, and citizen-state relations.

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