View synonyms for confused

confused

[ kuhn-fyoozd ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

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.

First recorded in 1350–1400; confuse ( def ) + -ed ²( def ) for the adjective senses; confuse ( def ) + -ed ¹( def ) for the verb sense

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