1
as in obscuring
to make dark, dim, or indistinct
the diner's dark interior, clouded with smoke and grease
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in confusing
to make (something) unclear to the understanding
cloud the issue with obscure statistics
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clouding
This weekend’s seismic upheaval in member nation Venezuela is the latest in a series of geopolitical pressure points spanning from Russia to Yemen that are also clouding the outlook.
—
Grant Smith, Fortune, 4 Jan. 2026
Covers resting directly on tabletops can trap moisture against the surface, causing water rings or finish clouding.
—Colleen Sullivan, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Dec. 2025
Is love clouding your better judgment, Sagittarius?
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025
There is a malaise clouding the team’s belief.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025
Its results are a sort of proxy for the economy, and suggest that bad vibes are clouding strong underlying performance and business confidence.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 19 Dec. 2025
That lack of control is clouding Village Lighting’s future.
—Christine Romans, NBC news, 28 Nov. 2025
Innocent to a fault, Rosemary doesn’t see the resentment clouding her husband’s face.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
Bezos offered a similar assessment earlier this month, suggesting that this excitement might be clouding investors’ judgement.
—Sylvan Lane, The Hill, 13 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clouding
Verb
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This International Dark Sky Park, located in southwest Texas, is about a six-hour drive from San Antonio, the nearest city, so there won't be much light pollution obscuring your views of the constellations.—
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Yet this focus on the moment of capture risks obscuring the more consequential lesson.—
Verb
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Canales-Pelaez said that local departments may be confusing administrative warrants with criminal ones, or overcomplying to avoid backlash from the state Legislature.—
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Among the factors hindering higher youth participation, CIRCLE research shows, include confusing registration deadlines and requirements, a lack of youth outreach and a dearth of regular curriculum that teaches young people about elections and voting in school.—
Verb
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The almost imperceptible pigment is an immediate boost of pore- and fine line-blurring prowess.—
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Among other things, conservatives accused the consultancy of operating as a multibillion-dollar dark money ATM for left-wing causes, allowing foreign money to flow into American politics, and blurring the lines between charitable work and political advocacy.—
Verb
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The state says the foundation did this because Aerial Recovery, the nonprofit, had been obfuscating its name.—
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Some data types can be encrypted randomly, obfuscating enough of the data to stymie hackers—such as using only the last four digits of your credit to confirm your purchase identity.—
Verb
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Our planet is darkening too, as Earth's reflectivity, or albedo, is dropping to near-record lows due to melting ice and reduced snow cover that expose darker surfaces that absorb even more heat.—
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Farther up, on Observatory Hill, tall cryptomeria trees were silhouetted in the darkening evening, and down in the valleys, lights winked on like reflections of the planets and stars appearing in the sky.—
Verb
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Injuries are muddying the market for players such as Coby White, who has played fewer than half of the games this season because of recurring calf injuries.—
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But seen another way, this release is also optimally confusing, muddying the waters with as-yet-unverified information that’s being disseminated via individual screenshots on social media, making the whole thing easier to dismiss.—
Verb
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The wax was so hot that my glasses were fogging up.—
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This small action will prevent mirrors from fogging up in the first place!—
Verb
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Elhawary acknowledged the billionaire tax proposal is a complicating factor in discussions about taxes, which is already a politically fraught issue.—
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Partnerships between public and private entities that were forged during the early days continue to support the event, but as with any public gathering, challenges from the outside were complicating their plans.—
Cite this Entry
“Clouding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clouding. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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