confusing

American  

[kuhn-fyoo-zing] / kənˈfyu zɪŋ /

adjective

1. causing or tending to cause confusion.

   a confusing attempt at explanation.

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confusing British  

/ kənˈfjuːzɪŋ /

adjective

1. causing bewilderment; difficult to follow; puzzling

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Other Word Forms

• confusingly
  adverb
• confusingness
  noun
• unconfusing
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of confusing

First recorded in 1840–50; confuse + -ing ²

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

We’re new at this, and confusing the two is easy.

From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026

“The fact we haven’t nailed this down and it feels like we’re having two conversations — it’s confusing and frustrating.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

In the age of artificial intelligence, there is the added advantage that the purposeful ambiguity of corporate jargon makes it confusing for large language models.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

But here’s the confusing part about the Rucho court’s legal treatment of gerrymandering.

From Slate • Apr. 29, 2026

For a few minutes—goodness, how confusing this was—I thought of digging a grave but then I realized that would be madness.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Related Words

• baffling
• bewildering
• complex
• complicated
• confounding
• difficult
• disconcerting
• perplexing
• upsetting