conflating

verb

present participle of conflate
1
as in confusing
to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related be careful not to conflate gossip with real news

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in combining
to turn into a single mass or entity that is more or less the same throughout the movie conflates documentary footage and dramatized reenactments so seamlessly and ingeniously that viewers may not know what is real and what is not

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of conflating Trump, in the post, is conflating the Reflecting Pool damage with an apparent marking of the number 8647 on the nearby National Mall last month. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 1 Aug. 2026 During closing arguments, prosecutors said the defense was conflating the timeline and evidence presented during Colt Gray's criminal case with the evidence introduced during Colin Gray's trial. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 30 July 2026 Stability and safety are not the same thing, and conflating them is one of the most expensive mistakes in portfolio construction. — Andrew Sukhin, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 The report also continues PEN America’s work, begun in 2016, of conflating Zionism with Jewish identity, a critical argument in Title VI civil rights claims used to argue that BDS is harassment. — Literary Hub, 17 July 2026 However, Zubkov cautions against conflating brain activation with dementia prevention. — Stephanie Anderson Witmer, Health, 3 July 2026 The passage is incoherent, yet, in conflating progressive reform with arrogant blind faith, it is perfectly suited to Vance’s cynical conservatism. — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 19 June 2026 In this case, conflating the disinheritance with his dismissal of you may make the issue seem to be only about money. — Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 11 June 2026 But in every era of conflict, some well-meaning moderates have enabled bad-faith censors by conflating confrontational speech with the violence that sometimes answers it. — Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conflating
  1. confusing
  2. combining
  3. mistaking
  4. mixing
  5. integrating
  6. merging
  7. blending
  8. amalgamating
Verb
  • The light entering my eyes would bend at two different angles, confusing my brain and making my vision a little blurry.
    — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Bringing in extra mythology wouldn’t make the confusing parts any less confusing, and would just confuse the parts that aren’t confusing at all.
    — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of confusing
Verb
  • Filtering transfer fees by age or position is not uncommon, but combining the two and then presenting it as a record feels a bit of a stretch.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Urbanski says in order to keep the character and story momentum of previous seasons going, combining the sixth and seventh books in Herron’s series made the most sense.
    — Trey Williams, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of combining
Verb
  • The risk is mistaking inspiration for logistics or assuming the big picture covers the fine print.
    — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The death of a language is like that of square dancing, or of doing algebra by pencil and paper, and mistaking metaphor for reality is one of the surest routes to woolly thinking.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of mistaking
Verb
  • Add the softened butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Shelton cruised from there, mixing his primary weapons in with athletic defense that garnered big reactions from the Montreal crowd and deflated Nakashima even more.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of mixing
Verb
  • Traditional brokerages are now absorbing crypto as another asset class, integrating it into their platforms and driving down fees.
    — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • This year, integrating civilians and coordinating with local governments was a key part of the exercises, according to the Taipei Times.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of integrating
Verb
  • Reddit will replace AvalonBay Communities, which is merging with Equity Residential .
    — Fred Imbert, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The brand-new flavor was motivated by merging the two popular Turkey Day dishes — macaroni and cheese and apple pie — and some families’ tradition of adding slices of cheese to their apple pie, according to a press release.
    — Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of merging
Verb
  • Their journey together turns into a road trip blending comedy with more emotional beats.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The new Hello Kitty & Friends x Godzilla Happy Meal comes with one of eight toys blending Hello Kitty characters and monsters from the Godzilla movies.
    — Mike Snider, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of blending
Verb
  • To Coimbra, some key questions involved amalgamating real-life characters into fictionalized ones while still honoring victims and survivors, as well as faithfully recreating the look and feel of the time.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 6 Apr. 2026
  • By amalgamating these museological devices into the artwork, Aram directly upsets the threefold impulse to pierce form with meaning, to arrest color with identity, and to neutralize bodies with limits.
    — Julian Stern, Artforum, 24 Mar. 2026
Definition of amalgamating

Browse Nearby Words

conflates
conflating
conflation
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Cite this Entry

“Conflating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conflating. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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