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
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4
as in embarrasses
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress
she was confused by the shocking bluntness of his marriage proposal
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5
as in disrupts
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
vandals had hopelessly confused the papers in the office files
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of confuses
And so an urban tunnel not only blocks some satellites, but confuses the listeners as to which are direct or reflected signals.
—
Steve Tengler, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Steve Tengler, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confuses
Verb
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But losing Bohm at the same time complicates things, and the team called Otto Kemp up in a corresponding move.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The moon’s clash with Venus complicates a cherished relationship.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Younger Recently divorced and adjusting to life as an empty nester, fortysomething Liza Miller (Sutton Foster) gains a boost of confidence once a 26-year-old tattoo artist mistakes her for someone his age.—
Hannah Kerns,
PEOPLE,
6 Sep. 2025
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The scene in which Junshik mistakes his family members for lucky strangers would work beautifully in a movie.—
Lily Meyer,
The Atlantic,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Communities across the world have started recognizing how the glow of artificial light disrupts not only our view of the cosmos but also the plants, animals, and ecosystems that have long relied on Earth’s natural rhythm of day and night.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
2 Sep. 2025
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When a cyber incident disrupts flight operations, supply chain logistics or manufacturing processes, the cascading effects extend far beyond the immediate costs of remediation.—
Dan Sorensen,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Wedged in the far southeastern corner of the bottom of the continent, between South Africa and Mozambique, Eswatini is the last absolute monarchy in Africa, a status that bewilders modernizers and beguiles traditionalists.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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For all their evident overlap, the two marketplaces serve different crowds — even as the boundary between art and design blurs (Basic.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
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Alcohol blurs a person's judgment, reaction time and abilities.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The water is perfectly clear — until someone brushes the side of the cave or disturbs the soft bottom, sending fine silt particles billowing into the beam of a headlamp.—
Jennifer Walker,
CNN Money,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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One case that still baffles is the macabre story of Virginia McCullough, who killed her parents for their money – and then lived with their bodies for four years.—
KC Baker,
People.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But the latest inflation data, where both hiring slowed and prices rose, muddies the picture.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
16 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confuses. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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