confused

American  

[kuhn-fyoozd] / kənˈfyuzd /

adjective

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. disconcerted, perturbed, or ashamed.

   I emerged from the office red-faced and confused.

5. 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.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of confuse.

Other Word Forms

• confusedly adverb
• confusedness noun
• preconfusedly adverb
• superconfused adjective
• unconfused adjective
• unconfusedly adverb

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

Example Sentences

We drove a short distance to the address, where an anxious man guided the confused woman through the front door.

From Los Angeles Times

I left them in the middle of the road, looking confused, as Sal and I trotted home.

From Literature

The dragon puffed a little cloud of smoke and sent Jeremy a confused jumble of colors.

From Literature

"His claim to be confused was a lie that unravelled when tested at trial."

From BBC

So many things confused the boy, starting with all the words she was saying, and her railroad train of a name, and her suggestion that she was in charge of him.

From Literature

Related Words

• baffled
• befuddled
• bewildered
• dazed
• disorganized
• distracted
• muddled
• perplexed
• perturbed
• puzzled