confusing

confusing — adjective

1. so unclear or disorganised that the people reading, hearing, or watching it cann

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

so unclear or disorganised that the people reading, hearing, or watching it cannot easily work out what is being said or what to do.

Example

Walid found the airport signs in three languages quite confusing during his first transit through Doha.

find something confusing

The film's flashback structure was confusing for viewers who had not read the book.

confusing for someone

Common collocations
  • really confusing
  • very confusing
  • rather confusing
  • find something confusing
  • confusing for someone
  • a confusing message
  • confusing instructions
  • confusing signs
Synonyms
  • puzzling

    stronger sense of mystery; you want to solve it

  • bewildering

    stronger and more emotional; can feel overwhelmed

  • unclear

    neutral; suggests missing information rather than mixed-up information

  • muddled

    informal; suggests disorganised or jumbled

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

it is confusing that ...

find something confusing

confusing for someone

Usage Note

Subject of 'confusing' is the thing that causes confusion (instructions, signs, a story, a film). For the person feeling lost, use 'confused', not 'confusing': 'I am confused' (you feel lost) vs 'It is confusing' (it causes the feeling).

Common Mistakes

I am confusing about the new rules.
I am confused about the new rules.
use 'confused' for the person feeling unsure; 'confusing' is for the thing that causes the feeling.
The teacher is very confusing person.
The teacher is a very confusing person.
singular countable nouns need 'a / an' before adjectives like 'confusing'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe something the listener or reader cannot easily make sense of, but they sit at different intensities and angles. 'Confusing' is the everyday neutral choice — instructions, signs, or a story can be confusing without any drama. 'Puzzling' adds the idea of a mystery you would like to solve, often with a hint of curiosity rather than frustration ('a puzzling result'). 'Bewildering' is much stronger and more emotional, suggesting you feel small or lost in the face of too much information ('a bewildering choice of brands'). 'Unclear' is the most neutral and the most precise: it points at missing information rather than mixed-up information. So a contract clause can be 'unclear' (the wording is vague), while a contract with three contradictory clauses is 'confusing'.

confusing ↗puzzlingbewilderingunclear ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • confusing instructions
  • confusing message
  • confusing signs
  • confusing situation
  • confusing array

Adverbs

  • really confusing
  • very confusing
  • rather confusing
  • incredibly confusing
  • deliberately confusing

Phrases

  • find something confusing
  • it is confusing that

Prepositions

  • confusing for someone
  • confusing to someone
  • confusing about something

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Present-participle form of the verb 'confuse', used as an adjective. 'Confuse' came into English in the 14th century from Old French 'confondre' and Latin 'confundere', literally 'pour together' — from 'con-' (together) and 'fundere' (to pour). The original idea of mixed-up substances became a metaphor for mixed-up thoughts, which is exactly what 'confusing' captures today.