confuse

[ kuhn-fyooz ]

See synonyms for: confuse confused confuses confusing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),con·fused, con·fus·ing.

to perplex or bewilder: The flood of questions confused me.
to make unclear or indistinct: The rumors and angry charges tended to confuse the issue.

to fail to distinguish between; associate by mistake; confound: to confuse dates;He always confuses the twins.
to disconcert or abash: His candor confused her.
to combine without order; jumble; disorder: Try not to confuse the papers on the desk.
Archaic. to bring to ruin or naught.

Origin of confuse

First recorded in 1300–50; from Old French confus “perplexed,” from Latin confūsus “mixed, poured,” past participle of confundere; see confound

synonym study For confuse

1. Confuse, disconcert, embarrass imply temporary interference with the clear working of one's mind. To confuse is to produce a general bewilderment: to confuse someone by giving complicated directions. To disconcert is to disturb one's mind by irritation, perplexities, etc.: to disconcert someone by asking irrelevant questions. To embarrass is to cause one to be ill at ease or uncomfortable, so that one's usual judgment and presence of mind desert one: to embarrass someone by unexpected rudeness.

Other words for confuse

1	mystify, nonplus
4	embarrass, mortify, shame
5	disarray, disarrange, disturb

See synonyms for confuse on Thesaurus.com

Other words from confuse

con·fus·a·ble, adjective
con·fus·a·bil·i·ty [kuhn-fyoo-zuh-bil-i-tee], /kənˌfyu zəˈbɪl ɪ ti/, noun
con·fus·a·bly, adverb
pre·con·fuse, verb (used with object), pre·con·fused, pre·con·fus·ing.
re·con·fuse, verb (used with object), re·con·fused, re·con·fus·ing.
un·con·fus·a·ble, adjective
un·con·fus·a·bly, adverb

Words Nearby confuse

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use confuse in a sentence

Upside down and confused, the owl relaxed its wings, and I used my free arm to tuck them first against its body and then the body against me as though holding a swaddled newborn child.
The quest to snare—and save—the world’s largest owl | Jonathan Slaght | August 28, 2020 | Popular-Science
These products could confuse consumers into accidentally ingesting a potentially deadly product.
FDA: Please, don’t drink hand sanitizer—even if it’s sold in… a beer can? | Beth Mole | August 27, 2020 | Ars Technica
Now, they are swimming in confusing murky waters when it comes to making decisions.
The CDC’s new COVID-19 testing guidelines could make the pandemic worse | Sara Kiley Watson | August 27, 2020 | Popular-Science
Proponents of the change argue that being associated with China has become problematic during the coronavirus pandemic because border agents tend to confuse them with citizens of communist China where Covid-19 is believed to have originated from.
A quirky passport design contest evokes Taiwan’s search for national identity | Anne Quito | August 25, 2020 | Quartz
Even the Democratic activists and insiders I spoke with who strongly support the party’s historical role in advancing underrepresented groups emerged from the 2016 election frightened and confused by its results.
How Clinton’s Loss Paved The Way For Biden | Seth Masket | August 20, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight

Until then, men shall all wearily grow our facial hair, wear flannel, and confuse the hell out of each other out on the streets.
How Straight World Stole ‘Gay’: The Last Gasp of the ‘Lumbersexual’ | Tim Teeman | November 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
One gets the sense that they are wearing a mask to confuse their readers, and even to evade them.
Sor Juana: Mexico’s Most Erotic Poet and Its Most Dangerous Nun | Katie Baker | November 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Stephen Collins is just an actor, of course, and no one should confuse him with a character he played on TV.
‘7th Heaven’ Dad Stephen Collins and the Christian Right’s Real Morality Tale | Amanda Marcotte | October 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
This, in fact, is one of their big arguments and it works well to confuse base lines.
Our Trip to The Climate War's Ground Zero | Darren Aronofsky | September 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The increase in recognition of autism spectrum disorders in Western countries continues to confound and confuse.
No, Stem Cells Don't Cause Autism | Kent Sepkowitz | September 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
I hate drums in the march,' said the king, 'they do nothing but confuse the step.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV. | Various
I've been studying motor manuals and all that sort of thing ever since I commenced to drive, but diagrams always confuse me.
The Everlasting Arms | Joseph Hocking
The great number and intricacy of these objects confuse the senses and do not permit the eye to rest.
Birds and All Nature, Vol. VI, No. 3, October 1899 | Various
But at first the telectroscope only served to confuse them more.
Islands of Space | John W Campbell
Couldn't he confuse her into going off with him, at least temporarily?
A World Called Crimson | Darius John Granger

British Dictionary definitions for confuse

confuse

/ (kənˈfjuːz) /

verb(tr)

to bewilder; perplex
to mix up (things, ideas, etc); jumble

to make unclear: he confused his talk with irrelevant details
to fail to recognize the difference between; mistake (one thing) for another
to disconcert; embarrass
to cause to become disordered: the enemy ranks were confused by gas

Origin of confuse

C18: back formation from confused, from Latin confūsus mingled together, from confundere to pour together; see confound

Derived forms of confuse

confusable, adjective, noun
confusability, 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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