Unfog

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To remove obscurity or confusion from a situation or idea; to clarify something that was previously unclear or confusing; to provide insight into a topic that was shrouded in ambiguity
2. To eliminate confusion or vagueness from a matter; to make a previously muddled concept more understandable; to shed light on an unclear subject
3. To clarify an issue by removing misunderstanding or ambiguity; to make something that was obscured more evident; to provide clearer insight into a complex idea

Etymology: "Unfog" is a plain formation: the reversal prefix "un-" attached to "fog", giving a verb meaning to clear something of fog. The sense of clearing a murky or confusing matter came from the literal picture of fog lifting from a landscape or a window, so the figurative use is a short step from the physical one. The prefix does most of the work here. "Un-" is one of English's most productive reversing prefixes, and it has long been added to nouns and verbs to undo or remove what the base word describes, as in "untie" or "unmask." Attaching it to "fog" follows the same pattern, producing a verb that means to remove the fog.

Synonyms: clarify, clear up, illuminate, elucidate, explain

Antonyms: obscure, confuse, cloud, muddy