1
as in to bewilder
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 to complicate
to make (something) unclear to the understanding
stop confusing the issue with irrelevant facts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to mistake
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 to embarrass
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 to disrupt
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 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
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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of confusing
ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2025
That time was confusing as a young man.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Indy is confused, perplexed, and sometimes enamored with the fake version of himself.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for confusing
Verb
The road to social media was a hazy and confusing merging of these two types of websites.
—ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2025
That time was confusing as a young man.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
Verb
At its worst, AI can be used by bad actors and content farms to confuse or deceive listeners, push ‘slop’ into the ecosystem, and interfere with authentic artists working to build their careers.
—Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Indy is confused, perplexed, and sometimes enamored with the fake version of himself.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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
See All Example Sentences for confusing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confusing
Adjective
-
Abrego Garcia’s lawyers have argued that travel to Moshannon is far more difficult for members of the defense team based in Nashville, and not easier for those in New York.—
Christine Valora,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Senator Collins has proven in the past to be able to win in very difficult environments, 2008 being an example of that.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The phenomenon is called seasonal asynchrony, and a new study finds these perplexing locations appear in tropical mountains of countries like Costa Rica as well as places like California that have Mediterranean climates.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
22 Sep. 2025
-
The Quiz In one of the more perplexing acquisitions this year, early 2000s music sharing platform LimeWire acquired the rights to the infamous Fyre Festival in an auction this week.—
Maggie McGrath,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Even worse, Sam finds out the troublesome critic is now her new neighbor!—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Weeds In the fall, weeds are often more troublesome than insect pests.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Mark Ladner’s somewhat baffling Pasta Flyer?—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Their paradise home transformed into a fortress surrounded by armed guards, but one of them still ended up murdered by gunshot, leading to a baffling mystery.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Adrien Broner has had yet another unpleasant moment surface online.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
24 Sep. 2025
-
My skin usually amps up oud notes in the most unpleasant way, but this formulation just works.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Fan interactions are inevitable for a star like Leonardo DiCaprio, the former heartthrob turned permanent Hollywood A-lister, but some are more puzzling than others.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
26 Sep. 2025
-
This is a group of materials known for both their huge potential and their puzzling nature.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Knowing how well the Europeans are playing, that seems impossible.—
Kendall Capps,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
-
By the end of a run, players could have as many as 15 boons which, on top of temporary weapon upgrades, blessings from Moon, familiars, and more, creates a dizzying amount of customization that’s almost impossible to intentionally recreate verbatim on the regular.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Tuesday will go down as one of Boston’s most confounding losses of the season, a 4-3 defeat in 11 innings to the Baltimore Orioles in which the club went 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confusing. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share