confusing 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of confusingnext
1
as in difficult

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2
as in perplexing

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confusing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of confuse
1
as in baffling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty the similar-sounding words "censure" and "censor" often confuse people

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2
as in complicating
to make (something) unclear to the understanding stop confusing the issue with irrelevant facts

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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

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4
as in embarrassing
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress she was confused by the shocking bluntness of his marriage proposal

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5
as in disrupting
to undo the proper order or arrangement of vandals had hopelessly confused the papers in the office files

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Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for confusing
  1. difficult
  2. perplexing
  3. disrupting
  4. troublesome
  5. baffling
  6. disconcerting
  7. disturbing
  8. unpleasant
Adjective
  • An at least 200-year-old celebration of French and Mediterranean cuisine, macarons are renowned as the ‘impossible dessert,’ a result of the notoriously involved and difficult baking process.
    Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
  • The manual entry of damage to structures like bridges used to be very expensive and time-consuming, a complex process made even more difficult by the fact that data entry and analysis are performed by both the agency’s own staff and external companies.
    Stephanie Glenk, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
Definition of difficult
Adjective
  • The bulkiness of cooler weather jackets, coats, sweatshirts, and sweaters combined with the dilemma of hanging them in a closet or folding and placing them in a drawer is perplexing.
    Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 24 Dec. 2024
  • The dearth of coverage on Chinese company's shareholder-friendly buybacks and dividends is a bit perplexing.
    Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Definition of perplexing
Verb
  • Protests keep disrupting life in Dhaka, the capital.
    Saif Hasnat Atul Loke, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024
  • In-app ads, which go through compliance checks to avoid disrupting gameplay, offer creators 70% of ad revenue, with Overwolf retaining 30%.
    Matt Gardner, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of disrupting
Adjective
  • Such a dynamic is troublesome for an industry that currently lacks producer diversity and is expected to grow 8x by 2040.
    Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
  • Cedar pollen counts in Central Texas Cedar pollen is largely troublesome for Central Texas, which has a higher concentration of Ashe juniper trees, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
    Nicole Villalpando, Austin American-Statesman, 5 Dec. 2024
Definition of troublesome
Adjective
  • Even following such an uplifting and dominant win, Newcastle’s baffling, up-and-down campaign demands such hesitancy.
    Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
  • Making this even more baffling was the choice not to include Spider-Man himself in these spinoffs, and the choice not to pit any of the villains against one another either.
    Mark Hughes, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
Definition of baffling
Verb
  • Russia was becoming more closed, and this was disconcerting for a generation that had grown up in a modernized and relatively open society.
    Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2024
  • Calculations on how many homeowners are at risk and how many are covered vary, but all are disconcerting.
    Kate Gibson, CBS News, 4 Oct. 2024
Definition of disconcerting
Verb
  • The horrifying scene was captured on disturbing video obtained by The News.
    Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 22 Dec. 2024
  • The dread-fueling 1974 horror classic follows a group of sorority girls who become victims of grisly murders over Christmas break after receiving a series of disturbing phone calls.
    Lydia Price, People.com, 22 Dec. 2024
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • Good palliative care can ensure that patients avoid unpleasant breathlessness, pain, nausea, and other symptoms.
    Mark Taubert, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
  • At the same time, however, many people described unpleasant feelings associated with December.
    Madeline Fitzgerald, Quartz, 19 Dec. 2024
Definition of unpleasant
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near confusing

confuses

confusing

confusion

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Cite this Entry

“Confusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confusing. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.

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More from Merriam-Webster on confusing

Nglish: Translation of confusing for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of confusing for Arabic Speakers

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