- present participle of confuse.
confusing
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of confusing
Explanation
Something that's confusing doesn't make any sense — it perplexes you. A confusing, hand-drawn map might lead you in circles as you try to find your destination. It can be confusing to walk out of a dark movie theater into the bright sunlight, or to get a phone call from someone whose voice you don't recognize. Situations like this disorient you a little bit. Things that are difficult and complicated, like a really hard math test, can also be confusing. The adjective comes from confuse, which has a Latin root, confundere, "mingle together."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Confusing brand positioning and interoperability problems have frustrated users, current and former employees who have worked on Microsoft’s AI products said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026
Confusing one for the other is how investors end up buying into instability rather than opportunity.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 30, 2026
Confusing the stock market with the real economy is the oldest analytical mistake in finance.
From Barron's • Dec. 5, 2025
Lorde's fans are now hoping she'll stick around for Charli XCX's set on Saturday night, to duet on their headline-making collaboration Girl, So Confusing.
From BBC • Jun. 27, 2025
Confusing and deceiving, so that the real smells, the smells that mattered, couldn’t be found, however often the cubs put up their heads and reached for them, sniffing in the foul darkness.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
