conflate

verb

con·​flate kən-ˈflāt How to pronounce conflate (audio)
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.

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 My speculation is that the young man likely conflated the debate about life elsewhere in the universe with comments about scientifically defensible things. Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 People conflate recall problems, such as forgetting names and dates or blanking on a word — which begins in the 30s — with actual memory loss. Tj Hutchinson, The Denver Post, 27 Feb. 2024 Much of the research likely also conflates age with cultural changes, said Igor Grossman, a psychology professor at University of Waterloo. Olivia Goldhill, STAT, 22 Feb. 2024 Deputy Prosecutor Robert Beatson said the defense was conflating ordinary troubles into something bigger. John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 22 Feb. 2024 In recent days, Biden repeatedly botched a story about his first Group of Seven summit after taking office in 2021, first conflating French President Emmanuel Macron with Francois Mitterrand, who died in 1996, and later confusing then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel for Helmut Kohl. Justin Sink, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2024 Analysts often conflate these three levels of war to justify their claims that drones are reshaping conflict, but the levels are distinct. Paul Lushenko, The Conversation, 16 Feb. 2024 Most critically, the assessment may inadvertently be conflating the entire umbrella of restoration efforts with plans for reforestation, says Ida Djenontin, an assistant geography professor at Pennsylvania State University who studies environmental governance. Popular Science, 15 Feb. 2024 People don’t usually conflate skincare with agriculture. Sophie Prideaux, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Feb. 2024

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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of conflate was in 1557

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near conflate

Cite this Entry

“Conflate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conflate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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