Meaning & use
conflate
Last updated
To combine two or more distinct things into one, often mistakenly or misleadingly.
See it in a sentence
The article conflates two separate studies, making it seem like they reached the same conclusion.
People often conflate confidence with competence, even though the two aren't the same.
A note on using this word
Conflate almost always implies an error or oversimplification, unlike neutral words like "combine" or "merge."
Words with a similar meaning
mergeblendconfuse
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
distinguishseparate
Make it your own
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