confuse

[ kuhn-fyooz ]

verb (used with object)

, con·fused, con·fus·ing.

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

Derived Forms

• conˌfusaˈbility, noun
• conˈfusable, adjectivenoun

Other Words From

• con·fus·a·ble adjective
• con·fus·a·bil·i·ty [k, uh, n-fyoo-z, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], noun
• con·fus·a·bly adverb
• pre·con·fuse verb (used with object) preconfused preconfusing
• re·con·fuse verb (used with object) reconfused reconfusing
• un·con·fus·a·ble adjective
• un·con·fus·a·bly 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

As he put it, “My fate is to live among varied and confusing storms” and to experience the “sleep of forgetfulness.”

From Salon

"It is very comprehensive what you have given us, but I am confused still about where the responsibility lay," Dillon said.

From BBC

It's easy to become confused when Sir Keir talks about what his government wants to do.

From BBC

Previously unseen bodycam footage taken after the collapse shows first responders and officials struggling to come to grips with the enormity of what they faced in the confusing hours after the crash.

From BBC

A patient whose mental breakdown was secretly filmed by an NHS worker and shared on WhatsApp says she has been left feeling “dirty, angry and confused”.

From BBC

Related Words

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