conflation

noun

con·​fla·​tion kən-ˈflā-shən 

plural conflations

: the action or result of conflating:

a(1)

: blend, fusion

What needs to be highlighted is the power that the state wields through conflations of people and place, and policies and programs.

—Thomas Klak

(2)

: confusion

The conflation of lie and lay is an old problem and, admittedly, an understandable one.

—Cullen Murphy

Clearly the dominant American culture confuses us Mennonites with the Amish, who in fact began as an insurgent faction rebelling from the Mennonites. America's conflation is reasonable, since the Mennonites and the Amish have historically overlapped in many lifestyle choices.

—Rhoda Janzen

b

: a composite reading or text

But this book is not simply a conflation of old dispatches from one of the world's forgotten trouble spots.

—William Boyd

Synonyms

• admixture
• alloy
• amalgam
• amalgamation
• blend
• cocktail
• combination
• composite
• compound
• emulsion
• fusion
• intermixture
• meld
• mix
• mixture
• synthesis

Examples of conflation in a Sentence

the word “robustious” is probably a conflation of “robust” and “boisterous”

Recent Examples on the Web

In the right hands, this conflation of narrative and critique can have dazzling results. —Sloane Crosley, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024

The conflation of events influenced her and Fingscheidt’s decision to build a nonlinear screenplay and lean into its literary feel. —Jake Kring-Schreifels, TIME, 4 Oct. 2024

One of the points of conflation that has emerged since the debate is between Biden’s running for president and his serving as president. —Philip Bump, Washington Post, 8 July 2024

The character of the mother in the film is actually a conflation of my grandmother and my mother. —Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 1 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined above