1. the combining of two or more things into one
2. the mistaken treatment of two different things as if they were the same

Examples

• The conflation of the two companies created a powerful new corporation.
• There is often a conflation of correlation and causation in statistical analysis.
• The author’s conflation of historical events made the timeline confusing.
• Critics pointed out the conflation of personal opinion with factual reporting.
• The conflation of different cultural traditions resulted in a unique celebration.
• Students should avoid the conflation of similar but distinct concepts.
• The conflation of these two issues has complicated the debate.