confused
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
disconcerted, perturbed, or ashamed.
I emerged from the office red-faced and confused.
-
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
adjective
-
feeling or exhibiting an inability to understand; bewildered; perplexed
-
in a disordered state; mixed up; jumbled
-
lacking sufficient mental abilities for independent living, esp through old age
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of confused
First recorded in 1350–1400; confuse ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; confuse ( def. ) + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb sense
Explanation
If you are confused about something, you can't think clearly. If your new friend keeps impossibly showing up in different outfits, you'll be confused until you discover she has an identical twin. Confuse is a modern verb, the old form being confound which means "to bring to ruin or disorder." When you are confused, what's ruined is your sense of the order of things. If you return to a city where you used to live, and a dog grooming store has replaced your apartment and a dump has replaced the park, you'll feel emotionally confused. If you think that Tom is Harry and Harry is Tom, you've confused them in your mind.
Vocabulary lists containing confused
In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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Hooked on a Feeling, List 1
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"Earthquake"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I think all of us are very sad over the issue, confused, and all of us feel bamboozled,” Cheng said during a study session this month.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
We are hurt and confused, but we have also tried to respect the boundaries they have established.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
The Russell Group itself said there was "always some flexibility in admissions decisions", and that this "should not be confused with lowering standards".
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
There’s Lord Buckethead, not to be confused with Count Binface.
From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2026
I can barely contain my delight as his expression shifts from confused to shocked to downright giddy.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
