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 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 The first is conflating selling with self-promotion. — Cynthia Pong, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026 Don’t make this mistake of conflating style with substance. — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2026 Neighbors like the crypto mine next door to Shadden are what data center opponents want to avoid, though data center industry cautions against conflating the two. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 May 2026 What most people get wrong is conflating the theme of the exhibition with the dress code for the evening. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 2 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
  • One of the biggest mistakes students make is confusing a loan approval with an affordability recommendation.
    — Scott White, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Meta’s new cloud business — selling excess compute capacity to outside customers — is confusing on its face.
    — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of confusing
Verb
  • The actual Tann was born to free parents and, according to some sources, served in the Union Army before moving to Kansas, where he became known for combining medicinal treatment with physical therapy.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • What will make the event more special is that several Pokémon Go communities are combining forces for giveaways, photo opportunities and activities led by ambassadors.
    — Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 9 July 2026
Definition of combining
Verb
  • You could be forgiven for mistaking the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for an apparel brand that also operates trains and buses on the side.
    — Liam Scott, Washington Post, 10 July 2026
  • The look has been updated with taste and restraint, so there’s no mistaking the 33/303’s lineage—even the dimensions are within 1 mm of the originals.
    — Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 8 July 2026
Definition of mistaking
Verb
  • Brian La Broca was one of the vendors, selling water and a traditional drink called fernandito, a cocktail mixing Coca-Cola with fernet.
    — Julianna Mejia July 11, Kansas City Star, 11 July 2026
  • The trick to making the formula feel dynamic is mixing materials, as a blend of textures helps prevent your ensemble from falling flat.
    — Kelsey Stewart, Glamour, 10 July 2026
Definition of mixing
Verb
  • This plan, spearheaded by the Mohammed VI Academy and coach Nasser Larguet, modernized Moroccan football by integrating European methodologies with a national identity.
    — Chris Evans, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026
  • Local luxury labels have been somewhat subtler, eschewing obvious iconography while integrating Chinese philosophies into their branding.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
Definition of integrating
Verb
  • By merging traditional yum cha culture with a modern party scene, Hom is offering a culturally immersive experience.
    — Sam Flemming, AJC.com, 15 July 2026
  • Under the styling of Micaela Erlanger, Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o’s promo wardrobe went full Helen of Troy, merging power and precision in equal measure.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 14 July 2026
Definition of merging
Verb
  • Starting out in the early days of the pandemic, Stickler, now 31, built her brand on blending humor and heart.
    — Kara Nesvig, Time, 14 July 2026
  • The lightweight formula is 95% naturally derived, blending vitamin E with antioxidant-rich apricot for hydration and free-radical protection.
    — Deanna Pai, Vogue, 10 July 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 16 Jul. 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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of bibelot

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

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
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All