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

• confusable adjective
• confusability noun
• 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

Spain's moral code still confuses composure with virtue.

From BBC

“Were they confused about who was in charge of evacuation orders? It just doesn’t all add up.”

From Los Angeles Times

Daisy seemed surprised, maybe even confused, by the altered terrain.

From Los Angeles Times

"I am really confused now - where is it safe?" he said.

From BBC

It may help them to craft a text, process a confusing message or source a second opinion, which can offer a moment of pause instead of being reactive, she says.

From BBC

Related Words

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