Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

confuse

 - 2 dictionary results

con⋅fuse

  [kuhn-fyooz]
Use confuse in a Sentence
–verb (used with object), -fused, -fus⋅ing.
1. to perplex or bewilder: The flood of questions confused me.
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.
5. to combine without order; jumble; disorder: Try not to confuse the papers on the desk.
6. Archaic. to bring to ruin or naught.
Origin:
back formation from confused (since early 19th century), ME confused < AF confus (with -ed -ed 2 maintaining participial sense) < L confūsus, ptp. of confundere; see confound

Related forms:
con⋅fus⋅a⋅ble, adjective
con⋅fus⋅a⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, noun
con⋅fus⋅a⋅bly, adverb
con⋅fus⋅ed⋅ly  [kuhn-fyoo-zid-lee, -fyoozd-] , adverb
con⋅fus⋅ed⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. mystify, nonplus. 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. 4. mortify, shame. 5. disarray, disarrange, disturb.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To confuse
con·fuse   (kən-fyōōz')   
v.   con·fused, con·fus·ing, con·fus·es

v.   tr.

    1. To cause to be unable to think with clarity or act with intelligence or understanding; throw off.

    2. To cause to feel embarrassment.

    3. To mistake (for another): confused effusiveness with affection.

    4. To make opaque; blur: "The old labels ... confuse debate instead of clarifying it" (Christopher Lasch).

    5. To assemble without order or sense; jumble.

    1. To mistake (for another): confused effusiveness with affection.

    2. To make opaque; blur: "The old labels ... confuse debate instead of clarifying it" (Christopher Lasch).

    3. To assemble without order or sense; jumble.

  3. Archaic To bring to ruination.

v.   intr.
To make something unclear or incomprehensible: a new tax code that only further confuses.

[Middle English confusen, from Old French confus, perplexed, from Latin cōnfūsus, past participle of cōnfundere, to mix together; see confound.]
con·fus'a·ble adj., con·fus'ing·ly adv.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to cause to be unclear in mind or intent: heavy traffic that confused the driver; problems that addle my brain; a question that befuddled even the professor; was discombobulated by all of the possibilities; a complex plot line that fuddled my comprehension; a student who was muddled by endless facts and figures; behavior that really threw me.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see confuse on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way