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.

---

verb

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

confused British  

/ kənˈfjuːzd, -ˈfjuːzd-, kənˈfjuːzɪdlɪ /

adjective

1. feeling or exhibiting an inability to understand; bewildered; perplexed

2. in a disordered state; mixed up; jumbled

3. lacking sufficient mental abilities for independent living, esp through old age

---

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

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.

Example Sentences

But after initial missteps that confused markets, Powell’s press conferences got more scripted and he became less willing to entertain questions from reporters on broader economic topics than interest-rate policy.

From MarketWatch • May 10, 2026

She dies confused, in pain, not ready to go, as am I, confused, in pain, and not ready to let her go.

From Salon • May 9, 2026

“There are confused feelings that Caroline goes through because she absolutely adores and loves her husband.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

“I guess we can’t do that, babe,” Cohen, 36, a vacationer from New Jersey, told 3½ -year-old Chloe, who stared back, confused, then got an ice pop as consolation.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

They’ve done such a good job preparing to confuse the Germans that they’ve confused even me.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

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