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
Relevance
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confusing
Verb
-
Artificial intelligence is already disrupting numerous sectors across society.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Apr. 2025 -
Robertson had a good sequence throwing a big hit on Gage Goncalves and disrupting his shot attempt seconds later.—
Omar White,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Palace’s recruitment strategy depends on selling players, however difficult such deals are to stomach.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
22 Aug. 2025
-
Chapa said at the news conference that making a final decision was difficult.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Less than two weeks ago, the Angels made the perplexing decision not to sell high on any of their veterans at the trade deadline.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Aug. 2025
-
That’s a perplexing combination for an offense led by the best quarterback in football, and even more so for an offense that has been trained to play move-the-chains football.—
Sam McDowell
August 6,
Kansas City Star,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The young actor has a disconcerting awareness of the roiling potential of his changing body.—
Doreen St. Félix,
The New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2025
-
Even without Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota’s size remains disconcerting to the Nuggets, especially when Aaron Gordon is out.—
Bennett Durando,
The Denver Post,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Don’t come over here disturbing my peace if mahogany queens aren’t your preferred type.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Crimping is the process of severing a crop at the base and laying it over to create a decomposing thatch/mulch layer for the garden without disturbing the soil.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
That is probably true – but only makes the current freefall more troublesome.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
14 Aug. 2025
-
Florida’s wildlife commissioners set aside pleas and arguments from black bear advocates today and approved a December hunt of the state’s shy but increasingly troublesome species.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
And surely enough, the club’s focus soon turns away from their increasingly baffling cold case and onto a more pressing one.—
Manuel Betancourt,
Variety,
22 Aug. 2025
-
This is undoubtedly one of the most baffling mysteries of all time, and there is a purist sense of absolute joy and satisfaction in solving it.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Researchers are particularly focused on unraveling the puzzling interplay between gas content, magma pressure and lava flow dynamics.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
3 Jan. 2025
-
Almost two years into his ordeal, Gould learned of an initiative at the National Institutes of Health that focuses on solving the country’s most puzzling medical cases.—
Jason Liebowitz,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Cite this Entry
“Confusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confusing. Accessed 29 Aug. 2025.
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