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.
But Google's Karen Massin warns of "regulatory complexity" that could prove counterproductive, and "risks confusing the people these rules are meant to help".
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Why do some dreams feel so vivid that they seem almost real, while others unfold as confusing fragments that are difficult to remember or understand?
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
That’s why America’s oil business is so confusing: The U.S. sells the oil it produces and buys someone else’s.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Weaker-than-expected U.S. consumer-price and producer-price inflation figures have sent confusing signals and leave the dollar struggling for direction, Commerzbank’s Volkmar Baur said in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
She knew that London was a large, bustling, and confusing city, and that one wrong turn might send them wandering down dark cobblestone streets that dead-ended at smelly slaughterhouses and riverfront establishments of ill repute.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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.
