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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of confusing
Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 15 Oct. 2025
The twice-a-year clock change can be a bit confusing, especially to Arizonans who don't observe the practice.
—Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Boise State football’s next opponent may be the most confusing undefeated team in the country right now.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 14 Oct. 2025
That’s when things got confusing.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025
The confusing feelings of anger and what was once a loving friendship lead to an engaging battle amongst the snowy grounds of a graveyard.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025
In a letter recounting the assessment, Stern referenced a confusing incident regarding the assigning of parts.
—Matti Gellman, Kansas City Star, 13 Oct. 2025
But the city's multi-pronged local licensing process is already intense and confusing to program owners, with one comparing it to mountains of paperwork and endless hoops to jump through.
—Keely Doll, Louisville Courier Journal, 12 Oct. 2025
The advertisements continued to feature beautiful, sexualized women — sometimes a bit of a confusing choice for a website and marketing services company — until 2013 when GoDaddy started to transition away from a strategy of scandalizing and toward a more inspirational and sophisticated approach.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 15 Oct. 2025
The British and American versions also have different plot points, further confusing the matter, but the score has endured and developed a cult-following.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
Brewers center fielder Sal Frelick jumped and got a glove on it but the ball caromed off his glove and the top of the wall, bouncing back into the field of play – where Frelick caught it, thoroughly confusing the three Dodger baserunners.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025
Little signs of manipulation and gaslighting apepared along the way, further confusing her.
—David Oliver, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
However, understanding what needs to be done can be confusing due to a constant stream of climate updates, scientific findings and critical decisions that are shaping our future.
—Abc Climate Unit, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2025
In military settings, electronic warfare (EW) units use powerful transmitters to broadcast noise or false signals on the same frequencies, overwhelming or confusing the drone’s receiver.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 6 Oct. 2025
CarShield has received positive comments for its breadth of coverage and quick response times, although some policyholders have complained about claim denials, fine-print surprises and confusing sales practices.
—Brian Sloan, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
The tech hiring landscape in the United States is confusing these days.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
Specifically the perimenopausal timeframe can be very confusing both to a clinician and a patient in the sense that there are a lot of symptoms that are hard to navigate and understand.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 15 Oct. 2025
The twice-a-year clock change can be a bit confusing, especially to Arizonans who don't observe the practice.
—Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Boise State football’s next opponent may be the most confusing undefeated team in the country right now.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 14 Oct. 2025
That’s when things got confusing.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025
The confusing feelings of anger and what was once a loving friendship lead to an engaging battle amongst the snowy grounds of a graveyard.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025
In a letter recounting the assessment, Stern referenced a confusing incident regarding the assigning of parts.
—Matti Gellman, Kansas City Star, 13 Oct. 2025
But the city's multi-pronged local licensing process is already intense and confusing to program owners, with one comparing it to mountains of paperwork and endless hoops to jump through.
—Keely Doll, Louisville Courier Journal, 12 Oct. 2025
The advertisements continued to feature beautiful, sexualized women — sometimes a bit of a confusing choice for a website and marketing services company — until 2013 when GoDaddy started to transition away from a strategy of scandalizing and toward a more inspirational and sophisticated approach.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
This brings the total to more than $2 million raised to influence the outcome of Referendum 310, funding a wave of misleading ads aimed at confusing voters.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 15 Oct. 2025
The British and American versions also have different plot points, further confusing the matter, but the score has endured and developed a cult-following.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
Brewers center fielder Sal Frelick jumped and got a glove on it but the ball caromed off his glove and the top of the wall, bouncing back into the field of play – where Frelick caught it, thoroughly confusing the three Dodger baserunners.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025
Little signs of manipulation and gaslighting apepared along the way, further confusing her.
—David Oliver, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
However, understanding what needs to be done can be confusing due to a constant stream of climate updates, scientific findings and critical decisions that are shaping our future.
—Abc Climate Unit, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2025
In military settings, electronic warfare (EW) units use powerful transmitters to broadcast noise or false signals on the same frequencies, overwhelming or confusing the drone’s receiver.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 6 Oct. 2025
CarShield has received positive comments for its breadth of coverage and quick response times, although some policyholders have complained about claim denials, fine-print surprises and confusing sales practices.
—Brian Sloan, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
The tech hiring landscape in the United States is confusing these days.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confusing
Verb
-
But the immediacy around these conversations about the Titans are baffling to me.—
Nick Suss,
Nashville Tennessean,
13 Oct. 2025
-
The next morning, despite an extensive search of the ship, she could not be found, baffling the family, passengers and crew — and sparking an FBI investigation that is still currently open.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Amid the aftermath, as aid groups and Taliban bureaucrats were assisting those injured and left homeless by the earthquake, other Taliban officials twice suspended most internet and cellular reception throughout Afghanistan, complicating aid efforts.—
NPR,
NPR,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Michaels took to her Instagram days after the release of Fit for TV to post a series of screenshots of text chains, email threads, and other pieces of documentation refuting or otherwise complicating each claim leveled at her.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Like mistaking a tube of moisturizer for toothpaste or shampoo for body wash.—
Caelan McMichael,
Allure,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Her father had bought it at the county fair; the vender, mistaking it for yet another replica Native ceremonial mask, had all but given it away.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Bears lost this matchup in embarrassing fashion last year as the Commanders completed a Hail Mary with time expiring.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
-
The games themselves are embarrassing enough to watch.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But despite the Raiders’ slow start, Crosby remains the one player capable of disrupting that surge, near single-handedly.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
17 Oct. 2025
-
So far, more than four thousand employees have been laid off, disrupting government services devoted to, among other things, cybersecurity efforts, special-education programs, substance-abuse treatment, and loans for small businesses.—
Andy Kroll,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Travel could be very difficult to impossible.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
12 Oct. 2025
-
This Is My Story While Israel and Hamas have accepted the two-phase agreement, many of the more difficult issues have been left unresolved.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
On its face, this behavior is perplexing, presumptuous even.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Quantum mechanics was originally formulated to explain and predict the perplexing behaviors of atoms, molecules and subatomic particles.—
Zhixin Wang,
The Conversation,
10 Oct. 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 19 Oct. 2025.
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