1
as in difficult
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
2
as in perplexing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in baffling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
the similar-sounding words "censure" and "censor" often confuse people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in complicating
to make (something) unclear to the understanding
stop confusing the issue with irrelevant facts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mistaking
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 embarrassing
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 disrupting
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 confusing
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026
Plus, between all different sorts of shovels, snowblowers and snow pushers, figuring out exactly how to clear the snow can be confusing.
—Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 23 Jan. 2026
The clumsy, confusing rollout of the fees certainly didn’t help — as many residents who were promised a locals discount couldn’t figure out how to tap that benefit.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
This leads to an intricate web of confusing rules.
—Joshua Pearce, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
As that mélange suggests, the show arrives during a particularly confusing time for beauty discourse.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026
Some of the solar system’s most distant comets can be very confusing.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 Jan. 2026
But for women in midlife, those symptoms can feel even more intense–or more confusing–as hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause take center stage, overlapping with lupus flares.
—Jennifer Shanker, Flow Space, 21 Jan. 2026
In the end, the whole issue was backtracked after congressional outcry, but not before making things extremely difficult and confusing for people who already work in an extremely difficult and confusing field.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Murugan Anandarajan, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2026
The projectionist showed the second reel first, and as my grandfather said, the film was already confusing enough.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2026
This may seem confusing to onlookers.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026
If that weren’t confusing enough, Guinea-Bissau is going through a coup and has replaced all of its top health officials.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 16 Jan. 2026
Canales-Pelaez said that local departments may be confusing administrative warrants with criminal ones, or overcomplying to avoid backlash from the state Legislature.
—Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American Statesman, 10 Jan. 2026
Among the factors hindering higher youth participation, CIRCLE research shows, include confusing registration deadlines and requirements, a lack of youth outreach and a dearth of regular curriculum that teaches young people about elections and voting in school.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
On Tuesday morning, the Oscar winner ended her Today interview with host Craig Melvin in giggles after making a simple mistake, confusing one TV network for another.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
Tolls for the lanes will depend on a complex – if not confusing – series of factors set to change over time.
—Mark Price
january 6, Charlotte Observer, 6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
The notion of grief gradually fades into the backdrop, finally re-emerging in a manner that is, thanks to the film’s lumpy tonal mixture, more confusing than emotionally cleansing.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026
Plus, between all different sorts of shovels, snowblowers and snow pushers, figuring out exactly how to clear the snow can be confusing.
—Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 23 Jan. 2026
The clumsy, confusing rollout of the fees certainly didn’t help — as many residents who were promised a locals discount couldn’t figure out how to tap that benefit.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
This leads to an intricate web of confusing rules.
—Joshua Pearce, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
As that mélange suggests, the show arrives during a particularly confusing time for beauty discourse.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026
Some of the solar system’s most distant comets can be very confusing.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 Jan. 2026
But for women in midlife, those symptoms can feel even more intense–or more confusing–as hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause take center stage, overlapping with lupus flares.
—Jennifer Shanker, Flow Space, 21 Jan. 2026
In the end, the whole issue was backtracked after congressional outcry, but not before making things extremely difficult and confusing for people who already work in an extremely difficult and confusing field.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Verb
For example, during a recent power outage in San Francisco, autonomous robotaxis got stuck at intersections, blocking emergency vehicles and confusing other drivers.
—Murugan Anandarajan, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2026
The projectionist showed the second reel first, and as my grandfather said, the film was already confusing enough.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2026
This may seem confusing to onlookers.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026
If that weren’t confusing enough, Guinea-Bissau is going through a coup and has replaced all of its top health officials.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 16 Jan. 2026
Canales-Pelaez said that local departments may be confusing administrative warrants with criminal ones, or overcomplying to avoid backlash from the state Legislature.
—Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American Statesman, 10 Jan. 2026
Among the factors hindering higher youth participation, CIRCLE research shows, include confusing registration deadlines and requirements, a lack of youth outreach and a dearth of regular curriculum that teaches young people about elections and voting in school.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
On Tuesday morning, the Oscar winner ended her Today interview with host Craig Melvin in giggles after making a simple mistake, confusing one TV network for another.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
Tolls for the lanes will depend on a complex – if not confusing – series of factors set to change over time.
—Mark Price
january 6, Charlotte Observer, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confusing
Adjective
-
Business leaders, of course, have their own interests and shareholders to serve, but Democrats can still protect the public interest while giving CEOs a seat at the table to reach pragmatic answers to difficult questions like these.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Activist groups say hundreds of people have been killed, though the true toll remains difficult to verify due to the internet blackout and tight state controls on information.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The movie is hilarious, fun, disturbing, perplexing, exuberant, exhausting.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
12 Dec. 2025
-
The canon can already be described as a bewildering artistic menagerie, including a perplexing assessment of misandrism, body horror by Brian Yuzna, killer toys from the ’90s, and more.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The pilot of a private jet reportedly made an eerie discovery while flying thousands of feet over Rhode Island, marking the latest in unexplained encounters baffling both experts and civilians alike.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
22 Dec. 2025
-
From financial wipeouts to baffling misreads of beloved source material, some of Hollywood’s most notorious flops began as video games.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Main roadways have improved, but City of Memphis Public Works Director Scott Morgan on Tuesday said the sleet that had frozen on top of the snow was complicating plowing efforts.—
Jack Armstrong,
Memphis Commercial Appeal,
28 Jan. 2026
-
She was also criticized for encouraging violence against Black Africans who supported the Apartheid regime, complicating her legacy.—
Jeremy Helligar,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
You’d be forgiven for mistaking them as longtime friends.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
23 Jan. 2026
-
There’s no mistaking it for anything else, as the grille and parallel headlight elements are distinctly Genesis.—
Caleb Jacobs,
The Drive,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Recently, Ryan spoke about the Beckham situation, the process of writing material as a mother without embarrassing her kids and her new goal of returning to the career trajectory of her pre-pregnant self in the near future.—
Deputy Entertainment,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Some mushroom bills backfired when their true impacts became known, embarrassing legislators who voted for them, and forcing them to backtrack.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In a panel conversation on Friday, Georgieva said that AI is already disrupting labor markets worldwide by shifting demand for skills employers seek, and might even boost earnings for some workers by improving productivity.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Kelly, alongside a mob of activists, allegedly stormed Cities Church over the weekend, disrupting a Sunday sermon based on allegations that one of the pastors, David Easterwood, is an ICE official.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Inflation, though, has proven more troublesome.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Morgan said the small, community roadways and thruways will remain troublesome for crews as more overnight freezing is expected due to the low, single-digit temperatures.—
Jordan Green,
Memphis Commercial Appeal,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Confusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confusing. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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