confusing

[kuhn-fyoo-zing]

adjective

1. causing or tending to cause confusion.

   a confusing attempt at explanation.

Other Word Forms

• confusingly adverb
• confusingness noun
• unconfusing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of confusing¹

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

Example Sentences

Captivating but confusing - what state is international rugby in?

Read more on BBC

"All the stuff that has slowed the game down and confusing it at the moment is the stuff that's happening off the field with referrals and TMOs and bunker reviews," adds Grayson.

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However, it “can be very confusing to actually execute, so it takes a committed and savvy investor to make it work.”

Read more on MarketWatch

After being enraged by their disallowed goal at Manchester City before the international break, Liverpool got stung again by the confusing subjective offside law.

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Her story resonated with women who came of age in the 1950s, when traditional wives were the norm, then found themselves a decade later in a confusing new era of debate over gender roles.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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