1
as in difficult
Related Words
Relevance
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
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show current usage.
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Recent Examples of confusing
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
5 July 2026
That could be confusing to general audiences, especially those accustomed to seeing the heat index instead.
—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
3 July 2026
Unlike dining at a restaurant or ordering an Uber, the etiquette of tipping at sea can be confusing, with varying policies and pre-set service charges.
—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
3 July 2026
Upon Paula’s release, Karl picks her up and is his usual confusing shamble of one part compassion and two parts boundaries.
—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
1 July 2026
AxCrypt, NordLocker, and Xecrets Ez, like EncryptPro, simply make use of AES-256 without giving the user any confusing choices.
—
Neil J. Rubenking,
PC Magazine,
1 July 2026
The National League is confusing, and the rebuilding Cardinals have stayed relevant.
—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
1 July 2026
Outside of a confusing few minutes, very few people other than media critics and Court observers have seemed to care about the mistake.
—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
30 June 2026
That distinction explains why glyphosate litigation has been so confusing.
—
Alex Smolak,
STAT,
27 June 2026
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2026
Having said that, conversations might be confusing today.
—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
25 June 2026
The through line is confusing fragrance intensity with cleanliness.
—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 June 2026
The palace mixed up a father and son with the snafu, confusing James, Earl of Wessex, for his father, Prince Edward.
—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
23 June 2026
Banken used inflated home prices, confusing paperwork and six-figure balloon payments due at the end of short contracts to push buyers into default and to ultimately retain ownership of the property, the attorney general’s lawsuit said.
—
Andy Mannix,
ProPublica,
23 June 2026
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s investigation of the alternative medicine industry uncovered a pattern of practitioners across Georgia pushing legal limits on what they’re allowed to do and presenting confusing information about their credentials.
—
Carrie Teegardin,
AJC.com,
17 June 2026
Zwirner also cautioned against confusing a decline in auction sales of young and contemporary artists with a waning interest in them.
—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
16 June 2026
That version of the film runs seven minutes longer than the theatrical release and restores the film's original opening scene — a cinematic boat race — which clarifies plot beats that were confusing in the theatrical version.
—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 June 2026
Adjective
Devine told me that e-bike and moped marketing is confusing and regulations keeping e-bikes safely classified are cloudy.
—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
5 July 2026
That could be confusing to general audiences, especially those accustomed to seeing the heat index instead.
—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
3 July 2026
Unlike dining at a restaurant or ordering an Uber, the etiquette of tipping at sea can be confusing, with varying policies and pre-set service charges.
—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
3 July 2026
Upon Paula’s release, Karl picks her up and is his usual confusing shamble of one part compassion and two parts boundaries.
—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
1 July 2026
AxCrypt, NordLocker, and Xecrets Ez, like EncryptPro, simply make use of AES-256 without giving the user any confusing choices.
—
Neil J. Rubenking,
PC Magazine,
1 July 2026
The National League is confusing, and the rebuilding Cardinals have stayed relevant.
—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
1 July 2026
Outside of a confusing few minutes, very few people other than media critics and Court observers have seemed to care about the mistake.
—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
30 June 2026
That distinction explains why glyphosate litigation has been so confusing.
—
Alex Smolak,
STAT,
27 June 2026
Verb
Why People Misunderstand This Intelligence The first mistake people make is confusing integrative intelligence with being broadly knowledgeable.
—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2026
Having said that, conversations might be confusing today.
—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
25 June 2026
The through line is confusing fragrance intensity with cleanliness.
—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 June 2026
The palace mixed up a father and son with the snafu, confusing James, Earl of Wessex, for his father, Prince Edward.
—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
23 June 2026
Banken used inflated home prices, confusing paperwork and six-figure balloon payments due at the end of short contracts to push buyers into default and to ultimately retain ownership of the property, the attorney general’s lawsuit said.
—
Andy Mannix,
ProPublica,
23 June 2026
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s investigation of the alternative medicine industry uncovered a pattern of practitioners across Georgia pushing legal limits on what they’re allowed to do and presenting confusing information about their credentials.
—
Carrie Teegardin,
AJC.com,
17 June 2026
Zwirner also cautioned against confusing a decline in auction sales of young and contemporary artists with a waning interest in them.
—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
16 June 2026
That version of the film runs seven minutes longer than the theatrical release and restores the film's original opening scene — a cinematic boat race — which clarifies plot beats that were confusing in the theatrical version.
—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confusing
Adjective
-
Sarah Buck, Chicago Driving has become harder The rapid increase in bike lanes has made driving much more difficult and tedious, with numerous delays due to many streets being reduced to one lane in busy areas.
-
Republican strategists have welcomed those nominations as an opening for attack in a difficult election year.
Adjective
-
For some perplexing reason, Gia has decided to die on the hill that Ava is lying, despite having no way to prove that and despite the fact that Ava has no reason to lie.
-
Some viewers at home, however, found the clue perplexing, noting that the clue could also be read as referring to the two most recent Best Song winners.
Verb
-
The Illinois numbers, especially this year’s, are baffling experts.
-
For more than four minutes Darnold drove downfield, connecting on three of four passes, baffling the pass rushers, bleeding the clock, and by the time the Seahawks finally gave the ball back, the Rams had only 25 seconds to live.
Verb
-
Scientists have not even fully determined which pollutants pose the greatest risks to firefighters, further complicating a choice.
-
Opponents, however, see the measure as overly reliant on standardized testing that doesn’t account for complicating factors like poverty, class size and access to resources.
Verb
-
The catered lunch and the free wellbeing app are not the problem; mistaking them for the work being worth doing is.
-
The cultural mistake is mistaking exposure and awareness for outcome.
Verb
-
The moms aren’t embarrassing their kids.
-
Several other policy changes led to blowback from the public and Starmer was forced to make a series of embarrassing U-turns that provided political capital for opponents and fed beliefs that the prime minister didn’t stand for much.
Verb
-
Woods said a reading in line with expectations would likely keep markets focused on inflation and the Federal Reserve's policy path without disrupting the recent rally.
-
He’s flanked by more individually talented defenders than ever, with Cason Wallace disrupting ballhandlers and Alex Caruso as versatile as any of the team’s guard defenders.
Adjective
-
The show about the white-picket fence Cleaver family and their troublesome son created a foundational image of post-war Americana that has been so influential, the show’s title is a shorthand for this era of conservative nuclear family values.
-
One of the troublesome sounds for writers was /w/.
Cite this Entry
“Confusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confusing. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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