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 difficult
Related Words
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of confuse
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 6 May 2026
Haley Rose, Nova's mom, said Charlene sustained a head injury, and was confused and disoriented after the fall.
—Staff Author, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR, 7 May 2026
Seeking help from other countries in the strait Another confusing element is the administration’s efforts to persuade allies to deploy warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
—Ben Finley, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
Ian Gibson, Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2026
Sorting foods according to the number of ingredients and the technology used to make the foods — but not the actual nutritional value — could just end up confusing people and distracting from the larger issue.
—Rob Williams, EverydayHealth.com, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for confuse
Verb
The root problem, in his view, is a leadership class that has confused self-preservation with public service.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 6 May 2026
Haley Rose, Nova's mom, said Charlene sustained a head injury, and was confused and disoriented after the fall.
—Staff Author, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Adjective
That decision also prompted a very confusing scramble that ultimately ended when the Supreme Court decided to stay the decision and hear the case.
—Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR, 7 May 2026
Seeking help from other countries in the strait Another confusing element is the administration’s efforts to persuade allies to deploy warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
—Ben Finley, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
Verb
But online as an antidote only works if the sector stops confusing access with quality.
—Ian Gibson, Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2026
Sorting foods according to the number of ingredients and the technology used to make the foods — but not the actual nutritional value — could just end up confusing people and distracting from the larger issue.
—Rob Williams, EverydayHealth.com, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for confuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confuse
Verb
-
Gasly seems faintly bewildered by the designation.—
Maxwell Adler,
Vanity Fair,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Netizens were bewildered by the latest pivot, resulting in plenty of mockery on social media.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The democratization of drone warfare complicates traditional counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations, requiring new doctrines, technologies, and legislative frameworks to confront the evolving threat landscape.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 May 2026
-
Meloni is reeling from a referendum defeat in March and facing domestic opposition to the war, complicating her position.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
There could be no mistaking what band was blasting out of all those boomboxes and car radios.—
Andy Cush,
Pitchfork,
9 May 2026
-
When Ava interrupts to bring Deborah her cell phone, Kelly mistakes Ava for Deborah’s girlfriend and has a new understanding of her foe.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Those involved may not want to push their expensive retro recreation to the limit but it is certainly got the potential to embarrass plenty of more modern machines.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 May 2026
-
Lutnick's voluntary closed-door interview comes amid a monthslong procession of powerful people summoned before the committee, many of whom have been subjected to embarrassing revelations in the more than 3 million pages of records known as the Epstein files.—
Graham Kates,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
What’s next for I-77 South Carter-Adamson and Ivory were disappointed to hear that I-77 will once again disrupt lives around Charlotte.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 May 2026
-
Canvas outage disrupted students during finals The timing made the outage especially frustrating.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Aces scored 26 points off those giveaways, which made things even more difficult on the defense.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
-
Schiraldi oversaw a particularly difficult period on Rikers.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
The whole situation was perplexing.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Our universe is full of mysteries, but few are as perplexing as the dark, tiny galaxies that hover around larger ones like the Milky Way.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The slow starts are baffling to Becht.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
-
As the castle’s internal order collapses under the weight of a string of baffling crimes, Araki strikes a fragile alliance with Kuroda Kanbei – a razor-minded captive languishing in his own dungeon – in a race to root out a traitor before Oda’s army closes in.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Confuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confuse. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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