confusing

Examples

• All

• Mr. King does not leave students to struggle with challenging vocabulary or confusing concepts.

  Academic text (2013)

• Research results can often be confusing and difficult to apply to daily teaching.

  Academic text (1990)

• It's very, very confusing, but in a good way.

  The Royal Institution

• Yeah, it's, um... all a bit confusing, really.

  Doctor Jekyll (2023)

• This is a very exciting, confusing time for your sister.

  Ginger Snaps (2001)

• And it's confusing because my whole life is about her.

  Jethica (2023)

• It's a little confusing, but it's nice.

  Columbus Circle (2012)

• Well, the holidays can be confusing for a lot of people.

  Here (2024)

• You know, it's just, I'm finding the whole thing just a little confusing.

  Analyze That (2002)

• You know, it's all very confusing and disorienting.

  Rich Roll

Synonyms

C

complicated

vsconfusing

876 5.4

Difficult to understand or deal with because it has many connected parts

means causing lack of clarity often without many interlinked parts

U

unclear

vsconfusing

207 3.9

Not easy to understand or know for sure

focuses on making people feel a lack of clarity rather than only lacking detail

E

elusive

vsconfusing

52 7.0

Hard to understand or describe, like the meaning of a symbol

is about causing obvious lack of clarity rather than subtle ungraspability

I

incomprehensible

vsconfusing

46 8.8

Difficult or impossible to understand

means likely to cause a lack of understanding but may be partly graspable

P

puzzling

vsconfusing

42 4.6

Hard to understand or explain

creates general lack of clarity rather than suggesting deep mystery

C

convoluted

vsconfusing

31 8.6

Very complicated and hard to follow, often not needed

causes lack of clarity but not always very complex

M

mind-boggling

vsconfusing

• Informal

31 7.0

Very surprising or hard to understand

applies to ordinary hard to understand cases rather than big surprises

O

obscure

vsconfusing

28 8.2

Hard to understand because it is unclear or complex

refers more generally to causing lack of clarity rather than ambiguity alone

B

baffling

vsconfusing

27 6.4

Hard to understand and causing confusion

causes general lack of clarity but is often less puzzling

P

perplexing

vsconfusing

16 6.7

Making people feel confused because it is hard to understand

is the everyday source of lack of clarity rather than formal perplexity

B

bewildering

vsconfusing

13 5.2

Causing a lot of confusion and making things hard to understand

tends to be a normal unclear state rather than extreme disorientation

H

hard to follow

vsconfusing

9 6.4

Difficult to understand

causes a lack of clarity or makes people feel unsure

I

indecipherable

vsconfusing

8 8.8

Too hard to read or understand

is broader, causing lack of clarity even when some sense remains

U

unintuitive

vsconfusing

1 7.3

Hard to understand or use because it does not follow usual patterns

is general lack of clarity rather than specifically against expectations

C

confounding

vsconfusing

1 7.7

Making people confused and things hard to understand

is broader, meaning simply likely to make readers unclear

U

uninterpretable

vsconfusing

1 8.2

Not possible to understand or explain

refers to everyday lack of clarity rather than total absence of meaning

C

confusional

vsconfusing

8.2

Making something hard to understand or follow

is the everyday description of causing lack of clarity

H

head-spinningly complex

vsconfusing

9.4

Very hard to understand because it is complicated

means causes a lack of clarity without always causing overload

I

inapprehensible

vsconfusing

9.9

Hard to understand or explain

implies difficulty rather than total impossibility to comprehend

U

uncomprehensible

vsconfusing

• Informal

9.9

Very hard to understand

describes causing lack of clarity rather than absolute incomprehension

M

mystificatory

vsconfusing

• Formal

9.9

Causing confusion on purpose

is general lack of clarity which may be accidental rather than deliberate

Antonyms

C

clear

∞ 1.0

Easy to understand and not confusing

S

simple

∞ 1.0

Easy to understand or do

How Confusing

bewildering

13 5.2

perplexing

16 6.7

puzzling

42 4.6

confusing

276 3.2

unclear

207 3.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology