desdibujar
/desdibuˈxaɾ/
To blur in Spanish is to say desdibujar. Wiktionary also lists difuminar and esfuminar.
Meaning: make indistinct or hazy, to obscure or dim (verb)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| desdibujar | /desdibuˈxaɾ/ |
| difuminar | /difumiˈnaɾ/ |
| esfuminar | /esfuminaɾ/ (from spelling rules) |
The verb forms describe the action of making something indistinct, hazy or obscured. The noun borrón is used to describe a physical smudge, blot or an indistinct mark that obscures something on a surface.
Which one should you use?
The choice of word depends on the context: desdibujar is often used metaphorically to describe the blurring of boundaries, lines or distinctions between concepts. In technical or artistic contexts, such as blurring a background in photography or a gradient in digital art, difuminar is the preferred term. esfuminar is also a form used for blurring.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/desdibuˈxaɾ/
Did you know?
- The term borrón is central to the common Spanish idiom borrón y cuenta nueva, which means to wipe the slate clean and start over.
- The verb desdibujar contains the root dibujar, which means 'to draw'. To blur something in this sense is literally to 'un-draw' it, reversing the lines that were once clear.
- While difuminar is used for artistic blurring, it is derived from humo, meaning 'smoke'. To blur an image is conceptually to turn it into smoke.
Examples in context
- El desenfoque artístico es una técnica que puede aplicarse en la fotografía para resaltar ciertos elementos en una imagen.Artistic blur is a technique that can be applied in photography to highlight certain elements in an image.
- La borrosidad de la imagen se debe a un enfoque incorrecto de la cámara.The blur in the image is due to an incorrect camera focus.
- Mis recuerdos de aquella noche están un poco borrosos.My memories of that night are a bit blurry.
- Las luces de la ciudad se veían difuminadas desde la cima de la montaña.The city lights looked blurred from the top of the mountain.
- La lluvia puede desdibujar el paisaje.The rain can blur the landscape.
- No quiero desdibujar los detalles del dibujo.I do not want to blur the details of the drawing.
- Las nubes suelen desdibujar la línea del horizonte.Clouds often blur the horizon line.
Example conversation
María and Mateo are talking about a painting in an art gallery.
- MaríaMira cómo el artista logra desdibujar el fondo.Look at how the artist manages to blur the background.
- MateoSí, eso hace que la figura resalte más.Yes, that makes the figure stand out more.
- MaríaEs una técnica muy interesante, Mateo.It is a very interesting technique, Mateo.
- MateoTienes razón, María, es impresionante.You are right, María, it is impressive.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “blur” translations and entries desdibujar, difuminar, esfuminar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries desdibujar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
