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There's a word for the following expression:

To confuse people by using Scientific/ Technical/ obscure words (may be in an attempt to prove something or convince them of something.)

This word was on my vocabulary a long time ago. I haven't been able to remember it for a while now. I am pretty sure it's a single word.

For some reason if you think this might be a phrasal verb please feel free to include them in your suggestions.

P.S. Words like bombastic, pompous, grandiloquent etc are not the one's I'm looking for and clearly these doesn't properly match the meaning. Other than these, if you can stretch the definition a tad bit and point a word, it's fine.

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    Related To Blind Someone With Science
    – Canis Lupus
    Commented Mar 23, 2017 at 0:29
  • Well, if you are looking for a negative meaning (e.g. Someone who just tries to impress people with jargon that he doesn't even understand very well himself), there's a saying: "if you can't dazzle people with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit."
    – Vim
    Commented Mar 23, 2017 at 2:37
  • Not quite the meaning you describe, but there's "gobbledygook".
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Nov 5, 2018 at 0:05

2 Answers 2

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Words with usage similar to what you've described:

  • Obfuscate
  • Bamboozle
  • Bewilder

I'd say obfuscate is closest. It's the one that particularly implies that you're trying to fool someone with complicated words or details.

This previous question has additional answers:

What is deliberately using complex sentences to confuse people called?

Aside from obfuscate, these other two answers seem most likely to be the word you've been thinking of:

  • Convolute (this is most commonly used as the adjective convoluted alongside a simpler verb like 'used'; e.g. "They used convoluted speech to hide the truth of the situation.")

  • Circumlocute (this is most commonly used in its noun form, as circumlocution; e.g. "His writing was full of circumlocution.")

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    I think obfuscate comes pretty close and it'll probably work in most contexts with some explanation. But I am aware of these three words and will wait out to see if someone comes with a more specialized suggestion. Thanks by the way.
    – Rio1210
    Commented Mar 23, 2017 at 0:18
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technobabble

Technobabble (a portmanteau of technology and babble), also called technospeak, is a form of jargon that consists of buzzwords, esoteric language, specialized technical terms, or technical slang that is impossible to understand for the listener.

Verb would be I guess technobabbling

sesquipedaliate

sesquipedalian speech or writing is characterised by the overuse of long words

A recent coining by the Sesquipedalian Society is the verb sesquipedaliate.

abstrusity. 1 : the quality or state of being abstruse

But I guess there’s no verb form so we’d have to coin the term abstrusify.

This is relatively new term:

geekify

Make something geeky.

Geekified. New Word Suggestion. a person or persons that has a unique talent in a specific subject.

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