confuse

[kuhn-fyooz]

verb (used with object)

confused, confusing 

1. to perplex or bewilder.

   The flood of questions confused me.

   Synonyms: nonplus, mystify

2. to make unclear or indistinct.

   The rumors and angry charges tended to confuse the issue.

3. to fail to distinguish between; associate by mistake; confound.

   to confuse dates;

   He always confuses the twins.

4. to disconcert or abash.

   His candor confused her.

   Synonyms: shame, mortify, embarrass

5. to combine without order; jumble; disorder.

   Try not to confuse the papers on the desk.

   Synonyms: disturb, disarrange, disarray

6. Archaic.,  to bring to ruin or naught.

confuse

/ kənˈfjuːz /

verb

1. to bewilder; perplex

2. to mix up (things, ideas, etc); jumble

3. to make unclear

   he confused his talk with irrelevant details

4. to fail to recognize the difference between; mistake (one thing) for another

5. to disconcert; embarrass

6. to cause to become disordered

   the enemy ranks were confused by gas

Other Word Forms

• confusability noun
• confusable adjective
• confusably adverb
• preconfuse verb (used with object)
• reconfuse verb (used with object)
• unconfusable adjective
• unconfusably adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of confuse¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of confuse¹

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

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

From chapter to chapter, Lockwood deploys an associative strategy: anecdotes, memories and social commentary string together, rich and kinetic if confusing.

From Los Angeles Times

And according to internal documents attained by The Times, debris crews were regularly confused how to handle contaminated pool water — which researchers have found to contain trace amounts of lead, arsenic and other toxic chemicals.

From Los Angeles Times

"We were all looking at each other a bit astonished, a bit confused," Giulia says.

From BBC

He was returning from a news conference in London, where he confused Albania and Armenia and fumbled the pronunciation of Azerbaijan, which sounded a bit more like Abracadabra.

From Los Angeles Times

The committee closed out its two-day meeting by passing a trio of vaguely worded statements that left many professional groups confused about what, if anything, the group had actually changed.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• amaze 
• astonish 
• baffle 
• befuddle 
• bemuse 
• complicate 
• confound 
• daze 
• demoralize 
• disconcert 
• disorient 
• distract 
• embarrass 
• fluster 
• frustrate 
• involve 
• misinform 
• mislead 
• mortify 
• muddle