1
as in perplexes
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 complicates
to make (something) unclear to the understanding
stop confusing the issue with irrelevant facts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mistakes
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 embarrasses
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 disrupts
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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Recent Examples of confuses
But the state's message confuses parents, especially the poor and underserved, Anzalone said.
—
Arthur Allen, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2025
But too often, this instinct to chase conflict distorts reality and confuses the public.
—Nancy Gibbs, Time, 17 Oct. 2025
This view confuses structure with behavior.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
Typically caused by a sensitive immune system — which confuses innocuous bacteria for harmful pathogens — symptoms include fever, fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite and weight loss, anemia, skin changes, arthritis and more.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
The disinformation pushed by these types of influencers confuses audiences, leaves them less informed, and erodes trust in actual journalism.
—Taylor Lorenz, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2025
Without it, greenwashing confuses customers and slows adoption.
—Marianne Lehnis, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Yes, God confuses the language and scatters everyone, thereby creating linguistic and cultural diversity.
—John Fugelsang
september 12, Literary Hub, 12 Sep. 2025
This is the same president who habitually confuses aggressor and victim in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
—Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 11 Sep. 2025
Arthur Allen, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2025
But too often, this instinct to chase conflict distorts reality and confuses the public.
—Nancy Gibbs, Time, 17 Oct. 2025
This view confuses structure with behavior.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
Typically caused by a sensitive immune system — which confuses innocuous bacteria for harmful pathogens — symptoms include fever, fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite and weight loss, anemia, skin changes, arthritis and more.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
The disinformation pushed by these types of influencers confuses audiences, leaves them less informed, and erodes trust in actual journalism.
—Taylor Lorenz, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2025
Without it, greenwashing confuses customers and slows adoption.
—Marianne Lehnis, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Yes, God confuses the language and scatters everyone, thereby creating linguistic and cultural diversity.
—John Fugelsang
september 12, Literary Hub, 12 Sep. 2025
This is the same president who habitually confuses aggressor and victim in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
—Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confuses
Verb
-
International involvement complicates conflict Two and a half years of conflict in Sudan have seen tens of thousands killed and 14 million displaced in what the United Nations says is the world's worst humanitarian crisis.—
NPR,
NPR,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The changing architecture of the music industry—shifting from single and album sales to streams, downloads and multi-track charts—complicates direct comparisons.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
My father mistakes it for the verb to bray, like a donkey.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The film looks like a million bucks, has a high pedigree of talent, and mistakes constant poking for conversation, endless buzzwords for a buffet of food for thought, incendiary hypotheticals for insight.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Cutting down trees disrupts the cycle, reducing rainfall and leading to drought.—
NPR,
NPR,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Sleep deprivation also disrupts mood regulation, often leading to anxiety, irritability or depression.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Nandi is experiencing severe insomnia, tremors and psychosis, and her quickly deteriorating condition bewilders the emergency room staff.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
21 Oct. 2025
-
The designs were puckish and gender-bending, evoking both awe and repulsion—the sort of clothing that titillates lovers of conceptual fashion and bewilders the uninitiated.—
Ana Karina Zatarain,
New Yorker,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
For a garden that blurs the lines between traditional and modern, combine a clean hardscape with aged materials and spilling plants.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Civil liberties groups and university associations have since argued that the order blurs the line between national security vetting and political censorship.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But to borrow Manidis’s framework, the drive to create such a tool conflates useless toil with meaningful labor.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Among the crowds, which have on occasion contained tens of thousands, there have been displays of violent antisemitic sentiment, as well as language that conflates enmity toward Israel, Zionism and Jews themselves.—
Alex Holmes,
NBC news,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Currently comprising more than 8,300 active satellites, the Starlink constellation also disturbs radio telescope observations.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The water is perfectly clear — until someone brushes the side of the cave or disturbs the soft bottom, sending fine silt particles billowing into the beam of a headlamp.—
Jennifer Walker,
CNN Money,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Take the quiz here … DUGOUT SECRETS – Mysterious wooden canoe found after Hurricane Ian still baffles experts three years later.—
,
FOXNews.com,
8 Oct. 2025
-
One case that still baffles is the macabre story of Virginia McCullough, who killed her parents for their money – and then lived with their bodies for four years.—
KC Baker,
People.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confuses. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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