conflation

noun

con·​fla·​tion kən-ˈflā-shən How to pronounce conflation (audio)
plural conflations
: the action or result of conflating:
a(1)
: blend, fusion
What needs to be highlighted is the power that the state wields through conflations of people and place, and policies and programs.Thomas Klak
(2)
: confusion
The conflation of lie and lay is an old problem and, admittedly, an understandable one.Cullen Murphy
Clearly the dominant American culture confuses us Mennonites with the Amish, who in fact began as an insurgent faction rebelling from the Mennonites. America's conflation is reasonable, since the Mennonites and the Amish have historically overlapped in many lifestyle choices.Rhoda Janzen
b
: a composite reading or text
But this book is not simply a conflation of old dispatches from one of the world's forgotten trouble spots.William Boyd

Examples of conflation in a Sentence

the word “robustious” is probably a conflation of “robust” and “boisterous”
Recent Examples on the Web The conflation of events influenced her and Fingscheidt’s decision to build a nonlinear screenplay and lean into its literary feel. Jake Kring-Schreifels, TIME, 4 Oct. 2024 One of the points of conflation that has emerged since the debate is between Biden’s running for president and his serving as president. Philip Bump, Washington Post, 8 July 2024 The character of the mother in the film is actually a conflation of my grandmother and my mother. Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 1 Oct. 2024 This conflation of headlining scientist and work done by many is at the heart of many Nobel Prize critiques (although there are also other facets worthy of criticism, including a stunning and problematic lack of diversity among the laureates). Jen Christiansen, Scientific American, 24 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for conflation 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'conflation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of conflation was in 1625

Dictionary Entries Near conflation

Cite this Entry

“Conflation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conflation. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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