Word of the Day - 06/19/26
obscurantism
/əb'skjʊrən,tɪzəm/(n.): opposition to the increase and spread of knowledge
By suppressing new discoveries and discouraging critical inquiry, the movement embraced obscurantism rather than intellectual progress.
(n.): the practice or policy of deliberately making something vague and difficult to understand, especially in order to prevent people from finding out the truth
The government's obscurantism, through heavily redacted reports, intentionally made the financial dealings opaque to the public.
Word Origin
The word 'obscurantism' originates from the French 'obscurantisme' (or German 'Obskurantismus'), which itself is derived from the Latin 'obscurans', the present participle of 'obscurare', meaning 'to darken' or 'to obscure'. The Latin 'obscurare' comes from 'obscurus', meaning 'dark' or 'obscure'. The English word is formed by combining 'obscurant' with the suffix '-ism', which denotes a doctrine, practice, or system. Thus, 'obscurantism' literally refers to a practice or system of obscuring or keeping in the dark.
Words with similar origins include 'obscure', which comes directly from the Latin 'obscurus', and 'obfuscate', from the Latin 'obfuscare' (to darken), also related to 'fuscus' (dark). Both 'obscure' and 'obfuscate' share the core meaning of making something difficult to understand or perceive, much like 'obscurantism' involves hindering enlightenment or knowledge.