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
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Recent Examples of confusing
Ian Rose, JSTOR Daily, 23 July 2025
Two people can deliver the same message, but their delivery style can make the difference between motivating and confusing a team.
—Kendra MacDonald, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
The snake is also easily confused with the Brahminy blind snake, also known as the flowerpot snake, an invasive species in Barbados, according to Re:wild.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 23 July 2025
Baun’s ability to play on the line of scrimmage allowed defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to shift the front with Baun moving from off-ball to edge or vice versa right before the snap, confusing the blocking assignments for the offense.
—Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 23 July 2025
And like so many other SNAP recipients — and pantry owners, as well as the politicians writing the bill — Natasha McClendon was confused.
—Sophie Levenson, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2025
With this revelation, fans are confused as to why Ave and Cole would stage such a thing.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 17 July 2025
Sparrow should not be confused with Krypto, Superman’s four-legged companion in the film.
—Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 16 July 2025
Amazon $650 Samsung $650 Best Buy Not to be confused with the Galaxy S24 series, this midrange smartphone from late 2024 has some elements of the flagship phone, but makes some sacrifices to get the price down.
—Simon Hill, Wired News, 11 July 2025
Verb
By 1915, scientists unearthed 2 million bones of large animals from La Brea, and a pattern emerged that both excited and confused them: too many predators.
—Ian Rose, JSTOR Daily, 23 July 2025
Two people can deliver the same message, but their delivery style can make the difference between motivating and confusing a team.
—Kendra MacDonald, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
The snake is also easily confused with the Brahminy blind snake, also known as the flowerpot snake, an invasive species in Barbados, according to Re:wild.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 23 July 2025
Baun’s ability to play on the line of scrimmage allowed defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to shift the front with Baun moving from off-ball to edge or vice versa right before the snap, confusing the blocking assignments for the offense.
—Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 23 July 2025
And like so many other SNAP recipients — and pantry owners, as well as the politicians writing the bill — Natasha McClendon was confused.
—Sophie Levenson, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2025
With this revelation, fans are confused as to why Ave and Cole would stage such a thing.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 17 July 2025
Sparrow should not be confused with Krypto, Superman’s four-legged companion in the film.
—Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 16 July 2025
Amazon $650 Samsung $650 Best Buy Not to be confused with the Galaxy S24 series, this midrange smartphone from late 2024 has some elements of the flagship phone, but makes some sacrifices to get the price down.
—Simon Hill, Wired News, 11 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confusing
Adjective
-
Some students may face family challenges that affect their ability to get to school, and some changes to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test, such as its move to online instead of paper form, could be difficult for students who only access computers at school, Maldonado said.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
-
Diseases that are difficult to manage without early intervention, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer, place a significant burden on health care budgets and patient quality of life.—
Kim Praitano,
Sun Sentinel,
29 July 2025
Adjective
-
At least there’s still perplexing songs to listen to.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
23 July 2025
-
The accusations of bad faith are not only perplexing but inaccurate.—
The Daily News,
New York Daily News,
16 July 2025
Adjective
-
Many troublesome issues that weaken psychological safety stem from character imbalances.—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
-
In the wake of making the troublesome latter album, Osbourne bolted the group in 1977 and embarked on a solo project, Blizzard of Ozz, and was replaced by singer Dave Walker of Savoy Brown.—
Chris Morris,
Variety,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
Oh, and Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr., is playing Doctor Doom in a baffling mystery decision.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
17 July 2025
-
Pros & Cons Thanks to a reversal of a baffling rebranding campaign, the Warner Bros. Discovery video streaming service is now once again called HBO Max.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
There are telltale signs that there's too much moisture in your house, from condensation to unpleasant odors.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
17 July 2025
-
Set a Timer For particularly difficult or unpleasant tasks, set a timer for a short duration—for example, five to 30 minutes—and commit to working on that task until the time is up.—
Aubrey Bailey,
Verywell Health,
17 July 2025
Adjective
-
What’s puzzling is that these truths are even being debated.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
-
The digging sticks, curved root-slicers, and a handful of somewhat puzzling implements were all found at a lakeshore site called Gantangqing.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
7 July 2025
Adjective
-
This level of customization would be nearly impossible to achieve manually across dozens of job applications while maintaining consistency and quality.—
Caroline Castrillon,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
-
Junior lawyers are increasingly using AI tools as a stopgap under pressure to meet impossible deadlines.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
20 July 2025
Adjective
-
The difficulty comes with the 2-in-1 capability, where the laptop's large screen becomes a downright unwieldy tablet.—
Brian Westover,
PC Magazine,
17 July 2025
-
From some perspectives, that expansion is revolutionary; recent studies have found that AI has the potential to provide more accurate medical diagnoses and help make sense of complex and unwieldy data.—
Julia Sullivan,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confusing. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.
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