conflate
Combine two or more things into one, often incorrectly
Examples
In a meeting
“Be careful not to conflate customer satisfaction with customer loyalty.”
Over coffee
“People often conflate being busy with being productive.”
Why this word
combine
Conflate specifically means merging distinct things incorrectly or carelessly, combine is neutral merging
confuse
Conflate is actively treating separate things as one, confuse is failing to distinguish them
mix
Conflate implies inappropriately blending distinct concepts, mix doesn't indicate the error
Usage tip
Use when pointing out that distinct concepts are being incorrectly merged or confused
Etymology
Latin 'conflare' (con- together + flare to blow) — to blow together, fuse
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Related words
differentiate
Recognize or show what makes things distinct from one another
obfuscate
To deliberately make something unclear or difficult to understand
discrete
Individually separate and distinct
broach
To bring up or introduce a topic for discussion
streamline
To make a process or system more efficient by simplifying or eliminating unnecessary steps.
delegate
To assign a task or responsibility to someone else.