mixed messages/signals

plural noun

: a showing of thoughts or feelings that are very different from each other

I don't know if he likes me; he keeps giving me mixed messages.

She's sending mixed signals about her feelings.

Examples of mixed messages/signals in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the Census Bureau’s move to count numbers connected to the LGBTQ+ community – and of people who express other gender identities, such as non-binary – comes at a time when the broader American public is sending mixed signals to those communities. —Andre Mouchard, Orange County Register, 8 May 2024

To be sure, data in recent weeks have offered mixed signals on the economy. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 5 May 2024

And the Arab world is getting – the rest of the world, actually, is getting mixed messages. —CBS News, 5 May 2024

But in reality the vote sent mixed signals about America’s place in the world and Washington’s appetite for maintaining a strong leadership role, some foreign policy analysts say. —Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Apr. 2024

The earlier TikTok bill, which passed the House 352-65 just last month, has so far lingered in the Senate, with lawmakers there giving mixed messages about its future. —Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 20 Apr. 2024

One by one, each of the nine board members delivered mixed messages. —Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024

Missing school for vacation can potentially send young students mixed messages about attendance, Phillips says, noting that these types of trips might unintentionally signal that school isn’t as important as other commitments. —Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Mar. 2024

But economic indicators have been giving mixed signals. —Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024