confused
not thinking coherently or rationally; bewildered; perplexed: My attempt to explain was met with confused stares and shrugging shoulders.Hopelessly confused, I just tossed my trash into what I thought was the right receptacle.
incorrectly differentiated, identified, or associated: You’re getting him confused with another player with the same name—this one plays for the Twins.In this lesson, students learn the frequently confused words their, they’re, and there.
without order; jumbled:Over time, the original neat lines of tents grew into a confused tangle of canvas-roofed shelters.What was once an imposing fortress is now just a confused heap of erect and fallen stones.
disconcerted, perturbed, or ashamed: I emerged from the office red-faced and confused.
expressed in a way that is not easily understood:The novel plods along trying to provide hopelessly confused technical detail, much of which is blatantly impossible according to the elementary laws of physics.
the simple past tense and past participle of confuse.
Origin of confused
1Other words from confused
- con·fus·ed·ly [kuhn-fyoo-zid-lee, -fyoozd-], /kənˈfyu zɪd li, -ˈfyuzd-/, adverb
- con·fus·ed·ness, noun
- pre·con·fus·ed·ly, adverb
- su·per·con·fused, adjective
- un·con·fused, adjective
- un·con·fus·ed·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use confused in a sentence
People often confuse the animals with flying squirrels or a giant fruit bat called kluang in Malay.
On a cool night in Malaysia, scientists track mysterious colugos across the treetops | Yao-Hua Law | November 20, 2020 | Science NewsResearch has shown that election forecasts that show the probability of a candidate winning increase certainty about an election’s outcome, confuse many voters, and decrease turnout.
Before resting, they jump away from their tracks to confuse predators.
These Photos Remind Us Why Conservation Matters - Issue 92: Frontiers | Kevin Berger | November 11, 2020 | NautilusThis is meant to confuse the quarterback, but on the first play, Ryan wasn’t in the right spot and it led to a 32-yard completion to Cam Sims.
Washington football notes: Run-stop struggles, and the future at quarterback | Sam Fortier | November 10, 2020 | Washington PostSo we don't want to confuse people with different numbers, but it is more than 90 and I believe will remain more than 90.
Pfizer CEO says he would've released vaccine data before election if possible | Axios | November 9, 2020 | Axios
Yet those who call Mitt a “Stepford Husband” do so confusedly.
American Dreams: ‘The Stepford Wives’ by Ira Levin | Nathaniel Rich | August 24, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTThe president smiled confusedly, then mumbled “I agree” before the man was escorted out of the building.
Daily Caller Reporter, Wilson’s ‘You Lie!’ & More Obama Hecklers (VIDEO) | Jake Heller | June 15, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST"No, seor—I have no brother: that caballero, he is only a——a friend of my father's," she answered confusedly.
Confusedly, the young man in the library had made her feel for the first time what might be the sweetness of dependence.
Summer | Edith WhartonAll her old resentments and rebellions flamed up, confusedly mingled with the yearning roused by Harney's nearness.
Summer | Edith WhartonTwo dark blue eyes stared confusedly at the letter—at her own handwriting.
You Never Know Your Luck, Complete | Gilbert ParkerSuch exclamations from the stalls confusedly rose among many others.
The Nabob | Alphonse Daudet
British Dictionary definitions for confused
/ (kənˈfjuːzd) /
feeling or exhibiting an inability to understand; bewildered; perplexed
in a disordered state; mixed up; jumbled
lacking sufficient mental abilities for independent living, esp through old age
Derived forms of confused
- confusedly (kənˈfjuːzɪdlɪ, -ˈfjuːzd-), adverb
- confusedness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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