1
as in perplexes
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
the similar-sounding words "censure" and "censor" often confuse people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in complicates
to make (something) unclear to the understanding
stop confusing the issue with irrelevant facts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mistakes
to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related
a lot of people confuse popular fame with enduring achievement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in embarrasses
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress
she was confused by the shocking bluntness of his marriage proposal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in disrupts
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
vandals had hopelessly confused the papers in the office files
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of confuses
Learn about Outside Online's affiliate link policy Go somewhere that confuses your algorithm.
—
Kevin Sintumuang, Outside, 10 Mar. 2026
An actress in 1962 Cuban, as its missiles crisis rages, confuses her role in a film and real life.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 9 Mar. 2026
Seeking safety Above-target inflation and a sluggish labor market also confuses the picture for investors.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 6 Mar. 2026
If the concept confuses, check out their podcast.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 21 Feb. 2026
No one confuses kilowatt-hours with productivity, yet no serious economy flies blind without tracking them.
—Noosheen Hashemi, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
Where the Roma obscured the line between a classic grand tourer and a sports car with supercar tendencies, the Amalfi confuses things further.
—Jonny Lieberman, Robb Report, 17 Jan. 2026
So everyone confuses literal with figurative; literally, who cares?
—Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 16 Jan. 2026
In professional sports, no one confuses being injury-free with being competition-ready.
—Karl Moore, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Kevin Sintumuang, Outside, 10 Mar. 2026
An actress in 1962 Cuban, as its missiles crisis rages, confuses her role in a film and real life.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 9 Mar. 2026
Seeking safety Above-target inflation and a sluggish labor market also confuses the picture for investors.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 6 Mar. 2026
If the concept confuses, check out their podcast.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 21 Feb. 2026
No one confuses kilowatt-hours with productivity, yet no serious economy flies blind without tracking them.
—Noosheen Hashemi, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
Where the Roma obscured the line between a classic grand tourer and a sports car with supercar tendencies, the Amalfi confuses things further.
—Jonny Lieberman, Robb Report, 17 Jan. 2026
So everyone confuses literal with figurative; literally, who cares?
—Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 16 Jan. 2026
In professional sports, no one confuses being injury-free with being competition-ready.
—Karl Moore, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confuses
Verb
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But the unknown in that equation is what perplexes the Mavericks and has the team stuck for now.—
Tim Cowlishaw,
Dallas Morning News,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Second, instability along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border complicates regional connectivity and economic integration initiatives, including projects linked to broader Central and South Asia.—
Rabia Akhtar,
The Conversation,
20 Mar. 2026
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By probing deeper into outer-borough New York and its agrarian history, White complicates our traditional understanding of slavery as rural and southern, showing how memories of that peculiar institution shape contemporary urban life as well.—
Omari Weekes,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The market focuses on the median dot and often mistakes it for a plan, even though they are derived from 19 separate forecasts and not curated into a policy forecast by the committee.—
Steve Liesman,Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
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But for every moment of genuine accountability journalism that reminds the public what the press is capable of, there seems to follow another viral post, another sympathetic profile of a terrorist’s grieving relatives, another story that mistakes activism for reporting.—
Julian Baron,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Their team might need the firmer assessment that challenges pride and even embarrasses, then the next year's group might need a lighter touch.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 Feb. 2026
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Maia and her boyfriend Dylan (Josh Hustcherson) are on the outs after Maia completely embarrasses herself at Dylan’s game night with his co-workers.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
21 Dec. 2025
Verb
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First, the war in Iran disrupts the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, raising the already high input prices for gas and fertilizer.—
Anthony Pahnke,
Boston Herald,
23 Mar. 2026
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At that point, the parasite disrupts brain regions that regulate circadian rhythm, causing patients to become sleepy during the day and awake at night.—
Fran Kritz,
NPR,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Nandi is experiencing severe insomnia, tremors and psychosis, and her quickly deteriorating condition bewilders the emergency room staff.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
21 Oct. 2025
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The designs were puckish and gender-bending, evoking both awe and repulsion—the sort of clothing that titillates lovers of conceptual fashion and bewilders the uninitiated.—
Ana Karina Zatarain,
New Yorker,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But Jones blurs party lines with some of his other stances, including energy, deregulation and housing.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
27 Mar. 2026
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For days when she’s getting photographed or heading to a board meeting, Givenchy’s loose powder sets and blurs; while Maybelline’s liquid eyeliner gives her gave a subtle lift.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This entire season has dissected the way that modern society conflates existential and economic purpose.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
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Given that women in other countries do wear lipstick as an act of resistance today, suggesting that American feminists did so in 1912 conflates their wildly different cultural contexts, and blurs one’s sense of what constitutes public dissidence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Confuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confuses. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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