What is the meaning of confusing?

verb

  • Mistake one thing for another.
    • usage: "you are confusing me with the other candidate"; "I mistook her for the secretary"
  • Be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly.
    • usage: "These questions confuse even the experts"; "This question completely threw me"; "This question befuddled even the teacher"
  • Cause to feel embarrassment.
    • usage: "The constant attention of the young man confused her"
  • Assemble without order or sense.
    • usage: "She jumbles the words when she is supposed to write a sentence"
  • Make unclear, indistinct, or blurred.
    • usage: "Her remarks confused the debate"; "Their words obnubilate their intentions"

adjective

  • Causing confusion or disorientation.
    • usage: "a confusing jumble of road signs"; "being hospitalized can be confusing and distressing for a small child"
  • Lacking clarity of meaning; causing confusion or perplexity.
    • usage: "sent confusing signals to Iraq"; "perplexing to someone who knew nothing about it"; "a puzzling statement"
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APAWordNet. (2010). confusing. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/confusing/definitions/1171218
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "confusing" http://smartdefine.org/confusing/definitions/1171218 (accessed September 20, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, confusing, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/confusing/definitions/1171218>.
MLAWordNet. "confusing" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/confusing/definitions/1171218>
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