confusing 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in difficult

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2
as in perplexing

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confusing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of confuse
1
as in baffling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty the similar-sounding words "censure" and "censor" often confuse people

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2
as in complicating
to make (something) unclear to the understanding stop confusing the issue with irrelevant facts

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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

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4
as in embarrassing
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 disrupting
to undo the proper order or arrangement of vandals had hopelessly confused the papers in the office files

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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 confusing
Adjective
Rich Dad, Poor Dad is a hodgepodge of financial advice and confusing diagrams held together by anecdotes from Kiyosaki’s childhood. — Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026 Disability rights advocates fear the changes to special education oversight weaken the federal safety net for autistic students and others with disabilities, making these systems more confusing when families need help enforcing students’ rights. — Claire Sibonney, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026 If the terms on the report are confusing, seek clarification from a reputable source. — Nicole Pajer, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026 Disability rights advocates fear the changes to special education oversight weaken the federal safety net for autistic students and others with disabilities, making these systems more confusing when families need help enforcing students' rights. — Claire Sibonney, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026 If Manchester City appear confusing, then what to make of the puzzling turn of events at St James’ Park? — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026 Grown-ups can find Italian brainrot confusing, but kids love the Dadaist characters. — Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 21 Aug. 2026 The litigious world of college sports got even more confusing with another major court ruling two weeks before the college football season begins. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 21 Aug. 2026 What initially looks confusing or inconsistent is actually behavior that flows logically from a traumatized brain. — Michele Patterson Ford, The Conversation, 19 Aug. 2026
Verb
Evans also cautioned against confusing maximal lifespan for a healthy lifespan. — Lauren Chan, STAT, 20 Aug. 2026 Thompson acknowledged that confusing the quarterback, like the defense appeared to do on that play, is a big part of new defensive coordinator Christian Parker’s scheme. — Jon MacHota, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026 Columbia, which doesn’t have its own police force, handled the unrest by shutting, reopening, and resealing its borders, confusing even itself. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 19 Aug. 2026 The Turnkey Myth The central disconnect lies in confusing technology adoption with operational transformation. — Ivan Illan, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 The light entering my eyes would bend at two different angles, confusing my brain and making my vision a little blurry. — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2026 Bringing in extra mythology wouldn’t make the confusing parts any less confusing, and would just confuse the parts that aren’t confusing at all. — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026 Her love triangle remains as such after having romantic moments with each of them throughout the summer — but there were also confusing instances. — Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026 What's important, however, is to avoid confusing a charge-off with actual forgiveness. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confusing
  1. difficult
  2. perplexing
  3. baffling
  4. complicating
  5. mistaking
  6. embarrassing
  7. disrupting
  8. troublesome
Adjective
  • The losses linked to the demise of these groups are difficult to quantify, but participants and advocates say the impacts will reverberate across federal agencies for years.
    — Katia Riddle, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Ground surveys can provide more detailed information at a particular site, but covering an entire subway corridor that way would be difficult.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of difficult
Adjective
  • Bohm’s Phillies career has been sometimes frustrating, sometimes exciting, sometimes perplexing.
    — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Orbital imagery has shown that unlike its heavily cratered sibling moon, Phobos, which means fear in ancient Greek, Deimos is much smoother — and covered in a perplexing layer of dust and rubble called regolith.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of perplexing
Verb
  • Despite some protests about a dog contributing to the game, Buddy — clad in a bright blue jersey and two pairs of basketball kicks — scores baffling basket after baffling basket, leaving the other team shocked.
    — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026
  • While Loathe’s baffling compositional choices may jump out first, the album’s most glaring flaw is its production.
    — Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 16 July 2026
Definition of baffling
Verb
  • Bond yields Persistent inflation, tariffs and whipsawing gas prices are not the only obstacles complicating the task for the Fed.
    — Brian Cheung, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Nepalese officials said that dozens of bridges were destroyed and nearly 40 kilometers (25 miles) of roads were damaged, complicating search efforts.
    — Shristi Kafle, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of complicating
Verb
  • In September 2011, Daniels, then a 17-year-old dropout and a member of the Bloods, was walking to the laundromat with his sister when rival gang members approached her — mistaking her for Daniels’ other sister, who was also caught up in the streets.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • And both times, there was no mistaking who the gallery wanted to win.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of mistaking
Verb
  • College students should not have to worry about their parents embarrassing them to an audience of thousands.
    — Mary Frances Ruskell, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Many of the voters of the other political parties have been lending him their support, partly in the hope of embarrassing Farage.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of embarrassing
Verb
  • The charges are hindering proceedings by disorderly conduct, a Class A misdemeanor, and disrupting a meeting or procession, a Class B misdemeanor.
    — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Secretly accessing or disrupting somebody else's computer systems can have serious consequences if an operation reaches the wrong target.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of disrupting
Adjective
  • Offensive line depth remains troublesome The lack of depth on the Dolphins’ offensive line has been problematic for the past decade because an offensive line is only as good as its weakest link.
    — Omar Kelly August 24, Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The Iranian regime has been killing troublesome exiles since the Islamic Revolution, in 1979.
    — Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of troublesome

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Cite this Entry

“Confusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confusing. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

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