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

Relevance

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 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 Don’t make this mistake of conflating style with substance. — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conflating
  1. confusing
  2. combining
  3. mistaking
  4. mixing
  5. integrating
  6. merging
  7. blending
  8. amalgamating
Verb
  • Physicians are alarmed, stressing that FDA licensing is crucial for guiding patients, as this decision risks confusing consumers about regulated versus unregulated treatments.
    — Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The Seahawks and Eagles won Super Bowls by confusing teams from multiple alignments.
    — Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of confusing
Verb
  • In an era dominated by physical defenders, Baresi distinguished himself through his reading of the game, redefining the sweeper role by combining defensive authority with the ability to launch attacks from deep.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 31 July 2026
  • Products like Pulparindo and Pelón Pelo Rico were combining tamarind, sugar, salt and chili decades before anyone used the word swangy.
    — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026
Definition of combining
Verb
  • Warsh is mistaking the value of quiet that Waller has criticized publicly.
    — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Perreault-Magny said frightened and flustered migrants sometimes try to climb into his unmarked patrol pickup, mistaking it for a smuggler coming to collect them.
    — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 29 July 2026
Definition of mistaking
Verb
  • Videos on Iranian social media showed many women at the cafes flouting mandatory veiling laws, and crowds mixing freely.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Kilgore, whom the team took in the fifth round, has been mixing into a couple of different roles for the Bills early in camp, with safety being his usual home during team drills.
    — Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of mixing
Verb
  • Hotels are shifting from solely selling rooms to integrating all guest experiences, like spas and dining, into a single, connected platform.
    — Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026
  • Operators also worked on integrating advanced autonomous capabilities, an important step toward enabling effective human-machine teaming.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 29 July 2026
Definition of integrating
Verb
  • This week, Musk once again dominated trending topics—from warning short sellers to addressing speculation over merging his companies, every issue has been a top concern for investors.
    — , CNBC, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The Soviet Union created the CPUSA to advance its geopolitical interests by merging multiple communist groups in the 1920s, as noted by scholars and the party’s website.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of merging
Verb
  • Wellness seekers can take part in a range of massage and beauty treatments blending traditional Chinese medicine with modern products.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
  • During training camp, Garrett and teammates are focused on blending their talents at all three levels of the defense.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Conflating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conflating. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All