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Glite Dictionary
💨 To make a mist 🌫️ To make unclear
to nebulize

to nebulize

8.2
To make an idea or statement unclear
  • verb
  • /ˈnɛbjʊˌlaɪz/
  • US
: vaguear
  • Instead of answering directly, the politician tried to nebulize the issue with vague statements.

Examples

  • Too many technical terms can nebulize the main point of your presentation.

  • The professor's complicated explanation only served to nebulize the concept for the students.

  • Don't nebulize your argument; be clear!

  • Can you explain that without nebulizing it?

  • The professor's complicated explanation only served to nebulize the concept for the students.

  • Instead of answering directly, the politician tried to nebulize the issue with vague statements.

  • Too many technical terms can nebulize the main point of your presentation.

Synonyms

to muddy
vsto nebulize
27 4.4

Make something less clear or more confusing

focuses on vague indistinctness rather than creating extra confusion
to muddy up
vsto nebulize
  • Informal
3 6.7

To make an idea or situation unclear and confusing

aims simply to make things vague or indistinct, not to add complexity
to obnubilate
vsto nebulize
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Make something unclear or hard to understand

is the neutral phrase for making something vague or indistinct

Antonyms

to define
∞ 1.0

To say exactly what something is or what it means

to clarify
255 3.3

To make something clear so others can understand it

How Vague

to nebulize
  • US
8.2
to obfuscate
  • Formal
17 9.1
to obscure
84 7.0
blur
80 4.2
to cloud
77 4.4

Surface Forms

nebulize infinitive
nebulized past
nebulized past participle
nebulizing present participle
nebulizes third person singular

Morphology

nebulize = nebulous (transparent) = nebul + ize

The verb meaning 'make vague or indistinct' is a direct verbalization of the adjective 'nebulous' using a productive English suffix -ize.

Etymology

Nebulize comes from the Latin nebula, which means 'mist' or 'cloud'. A helpful way to remember the second meaning is to think of making an idea 'cloudy' — to nebulize a topic is to make it unclear or hard to understand.