conflate

verb

con·​flate kən-ˈflāt 

conflated; conflating; conflates

transitive verb

1

a

: to bring together : blend

Even more often, outsiders conflate the couple, and credit them with each other's characteristics.

—Alison Lurie

This unsettling book—conflating journalism, personal reportage, sociology and philosophical inquiry …

—Rosemary Mahoney

b

: confuse

Given its name, St. Thomas in Houston has on occasion been conflated with St. Thomas in Minnesota …

—David Barron

2

: to combine (things, such as two versions of a text) into a composite whole

For there are two substantive texts, the quarto published in 1597 and the folio in 1623. Modern editions usually conflate the pair to produce what the editor judges to be the best and most plausible hybrid.

—Bill Overton

Did you know?

We’re not just blowing hot air when we tell you that conflate can actually be traced back to the same roots as the English verb blow. Conflate comes from conflatus, a form of the Latin verb conflare (“to blow together, to fuse”), which was formed by combining the prefix com-, meaning “with” or “together,” with the Latin verb flare, meaning “to blow.” Blow’s ancestor, the Old English word blāwan, shares an ancestor with flare. When two or more things are conflated, they are figuratively “blown together” either by someone’s confusion or ingenuity. Other descendants of flare in English include flavor, inflate, and, well, flatulent.

Synonyms

• confound
• confuse
• mistake
• mix (up)

Examples of conflate in a Sentence

be careful not to conflate gossip with real news

the movie conflates documentary footage and dramatized reenactments so seamlessly and ingeniously that viewers may not know what is real and what is not

Recent Examples on the Web

Harris’s proposal shows the folly of conflating ‘democratic norms’ with the political success of the Democratic Party. —Fred Bauer, National Review, 30 Sep. 2024

The newsletter also conflated that 2023 slide with the slow-moving ongoing slide at nearby Portuguese Bend. —Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2024

More recently, legal has conflated metrics with automation and redundancy. —Mark A. Cohen, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024

The online misinformation conflates several complicated issues. —Ina Fried, Axios, 2 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin conflatus, past participle of conflare to blow together, fuse, from com- + flare to blow — more at blow

First Known Use

1557, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

conflate

verb

con·​flate

kən-ˈflāt

conflated; conflating

1

: to bring together : blend

conflate history and fiction

2

: confuse sense 4