Synonyms

conflate

American

[kuhn-fleyt] / kənˈfleɪt /

verb (used with object)

conflated, conflating

to fuse into one entity; merge.

to conflate dissenting voices into one protest.

conflate British

/ kənˈfleɪt /

verb

(tr) to combine or blend (two things, esp two versions of a text) so as to form a whole

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

conflation noun

Etymology

Origin of conflate

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin conflātus “fused together,” past participle of conflāre “to fuse together,” from con- con- + flāre “to blow” ( blow ² )

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.

He said Maccabi fans had just pulled down one flag the night before the Amsterdam game and that some of West Midlands Police's evidence "conflated" different things.

From BBC

It said the researchers relied on an outdated and narrow data set to reach unwarranted conclusions, and conflated correlation with causation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some of the evidence "conflated" different things in regard to a fixture against Ajax in Amsterdam, he said, giving one example of running street battles that did not occur on a match day.

From BBC

The backlash, though, often conflates flawed implementation with a flawed idea.

From The Wall Street Journal

I think that’s one of the reasons why no one’s really wanted to touch this issue for this age group because they conflate it with the Middle East.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023