esfumar

to blur, to fade away

verb ehs-foo-MAHR Rare

Usage Note

Esfumar comes from the artistic term sfumato and literally means to blend colors into a haze; it is most commonly used reflexively as esfumarse, meaning to vanish or slip away. The colloquial sense — a person quietly disappearing from a situation — is very frequent. Avoid confusing it with difuminar, which stresses gradual blurring rather than disappearance.

Examples

"La niebla se esfumó con el sol."

Natural Translation

The fog faded away with the sun.

Literal Translation

The fog itself faded with the sun.

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