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.
He said drivers reported the app was inconsistent, did not understand their driving adaptations and that the rules and guidelines were confusing and restrictive.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
And the information a patient gets through the NHS app can be confusing.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
This season, Reddit has been filled with posts asking where to find a particular game and complaining about how confusing it all has become.
From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026
Chicago had one of the most confusing offseasons in recent memory and it got even stranger in the week before the season when it released Van Lith and added Cloud.
From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026
That so much of it felt good, which is confusing, because obviously there was a lot of bad.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.
