confused

[kuhn-fyoozd]

adjective

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. disconcerted, perturbed, or ashamed.

   I emerged from the office red-faced and confused.

5. 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.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of confuse.

Other Word Forms

• confusedly adverb
• confusedness noun
• preconfusedly adverb
• superconfused adjective
• unconfused adjective
• unconfusedly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of confused¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; confuse ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; confuse ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

I was a little bit confused and overwhelmed and surprised by my own feelings.

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To assist confused loyalists, the grocer has pasted a small sign by the entryway, adorned with the company logo and, in Whole Foods’s signature deep-green text, a reminder to passersby: “We’re Still Here!”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

She had trouble understanding the jargon of investing and was confused by such terms as ETFs and index funds.

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I made a choice based on the information given, but I admit published IRA rules and the Secure Act 2.0 left me confused about which was the best choice.

Read more on MarketWatch

Industry players were left confused about how to implement the change.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• baffled 
• befuddled 
• bewildered 
• dazed 
• disorganized 
• distracted 
• muddled 
• perplexed 
• perturbed 
• puzzled www.thesaurus.com