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
Relevance
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
1
as in difficult
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in perplexing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of confusing
Cara Anthony, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
For example, the eye glass space was largely fractured, confusing, and not customer-friendly before Warby Parker entered the scene with exceptional client experience, a focus on customer service and convenience, and a user-friendly product.
—Brandon Aversano, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Laws around driving after cannabis use vary widely and can be confusing.
—Andrew Yockey, The Conversation, 11 Sep. 2025
However, his possible involvement becomes more confusing when his wife, Sofia, asks for the podcasters' help after Nicky goes missing.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
WhatsApp was ranked the most confusing, with 46 percent of workers saying emojis are often misunderstood there.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
One user points out on the r/help community how subreddits with custom names for their Member Count and Online figures are now confusing to visitors.
—James Peckham, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2025
And the emotional harm that DOGE caused to older people and to people with disabilities — worsened by Dudek’s confusing actions — lingers.
—Eli Hager, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2025
Differences between states in the availability of COVID vaccines and whether they're recommended can be confusing for consumers.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 6 Sep. 2025
Leadership Brainery, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Beneficiaries would have to verify their own identities by using an often-confusing web portal or by traveling to a field office to do it in person.
—Eli Hager, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2025
But there's no escaping how underwhelming and confusing the offense looked against a Titans team that went 3-14 last season.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
In such a large, complex, dangerous, and confusing world, can one person make a difference to anything?
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
An overly tired new mother shared how postpartum delusion left her confusing her newborn with her pet in a viral video.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Advertisement Errors in the DOE review included misquoting a climate report, providing incorrect explanations for scientific concepts, and confusing the results of various studies that the report cited.
—Connor Greene, Time, 2 Sep. 2025
Still, Cracker Barrel risks confusing its customers with a rebrand, especially with its recognizable logo and decor, according to Anjali Bal, associate professor of marketing at Babson College.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
And determining when someone is dead is the critical but confusing question at play.
—Cara Anthony, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
For example, the eye glass space was largely fractured, confusing, and not customer-friendly before Warby Parker entered the scene with exceptional client experience, a focus on customer service and convenience, and a user-friendly product.
—Brandon Aversano, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Laws around driving after cannabis use vary widely and can be confusing.
—Andrew Yockey, The Conversation, 11 Sep. 2025
However, his possible involvement becomes more confusing when his wife, Sofia, asks for the podcasters' help after Nicky goes missing.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
WhatsApp was ranked the most confusing, with 46 percent of workers saying emojis are often misunderstood there.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
One user points out on the r/help community how subreddits with custom names for their Member Count and Online figures are now confusing to visitors.
—James Peckham, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2025
And the emotional harm that DOGE caused to older people and to people with disabilities — worsened by Dudek’s confusing actions — lingers.
—Eli Hager, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2025
Differences between states in the availability of COVID vaccines and whether they're recommended can be confusing for consumers.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Since its creation in 2007, only about 2% of applicants had successfully received forgiveness before the pandemic, largely due to confusing eligibility rules and administrative mismanagement.
—Leadership Brainery, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Beneficiaries would have to verify their own identities by using an often-confusing web portal or by traveling to a field office to do it in person.
—Eli Hager, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2025
But there's no escaping how underwhelming and confusing the offense looked against a Titans team that went 3-14 last season.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
In such a large, complex, dangerous, and confusing world, can one person make a difference to anything?
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
An overly tired new mother shared how postpartum delusion left her confusing her newborn with her pet in a viral video.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Advertisement Errors in the DOE review included misquoting a climate report, providing incorrect explanations for scientific concepts, and confusing the results of various studies that the report cited.
—Connor Greene, Time, 2 Sep. 2025
Still, Cracker Barrel risks confusing its customers with a rebrand, especially with its recognizable logo and decor, according to Anjali Bal, associate professor of marketing at Babson College.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confusing
Verb
-
That’s baffling to me that it was even checked.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Increasing barriers and complicating transactions will not help.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
9 Sep. 2025
-
When performance declines, there are so many complicating factors to consider to arrive at the root issue.—
Melinda Fouts,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Leaders celebrate short-term wins that merely mask deeper inefficiencies, mistaking temporary fixes for progress.—
Glenn Llopis,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
There was no mistaking that elk.—
Jack Atcheson Sr. as told to Michael Hanback,
Outdoor Life,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The mother, being a mother, finds fault and has embarrassing politics.—
Nathaniel Moore
September 10,
Literary Hub,
10 Sep. 2025
-
On top of that already embarrassing history, Ravens longtime head coach John Harbaugh has made some unfortunate NFL history of his own.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
However, the president’s criticism of mail-in ballots could risk disrupting the inroads Republicans made with voters last cycle, with the party spending millions promoting mail-in ballots ahead of the 2024 election.—
Hailey Bullis,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The limitations placed on these researchers is disrupting NASA’s work and could stymie the careers of younger Chinese researchers who came to the US to advance their scientific work, as well as benefit the space agency through their findings, the sources said.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Ncell, Nepal’s second-largest telecommunications service provider, noted that shutting down all platforms at once was, in any case, technically difficult and warned that the move would severely impact business.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Last summer, after years of hip problems and some difficult surgeries to address them, Jill had an operation that went poorly.—
Bianca Bosker,
The Atlantic,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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For nearly five decades, NASA's twin Voyager probes have plumbed the cosmos in search of answers to some of astronomy's most perplexing mysteries about our solar system and its place in the wider universe.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The justice character dimension has been perplexing to people.—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And aren’t our real-life romantic complications bewildering enough?—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Its ginormous investments in higher-value, tech-heavy sectors from smartphones to autos to semiconductors to biotechnology are disrupting the global landscape at bewildering speed.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confusing. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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