Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for confuse

confuse

[ kuhn-fyooz ]

verb (used with object)

, con·fused, con·fus·ing.
  1. to perplex or bewilder:

    The flood of questions confused me.

    Synonyms: nonplus, mystify

  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.

    Synonyms: shame, mortify, embarrass

  5. to combine without order; jumble; disorder:

    Try not to confuse the papers on the desk.

    Synonyms: disturb, disarrange, disarray

  6. Archaic. to bring to ruin or naught.


confuse

/ kənˈfjuːz /

verb

  1. to bewilder; perplex
  2. to mix up (things, ideas, etc); jumble
  3. to make unclear

    he confused his talk with irrelevant details

  4. to fail to recognize the difference between; mistake (one thing) for another
  5. to disconcert; embarrass
  6. to cause to become disordered

    the enemy ranks were confused by gas



Discover More

Derived Forms

  • conˌfusaˈbility, noun
  • conˈfusable, adjectivenoun

Discover More

Other Words From

  • con·fus·a·ble adjective
  • con·fus·a·bil·i·ty [k, uh, n-fyoo-z, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], noun
  • con·fus·a·bly adverb
  • pre·con·fuse verb (used with object) preconfused preconfusing
  • re·con·fuse verb (used with object) reconfused reconfusing
  • un·con·fus·a·ble adjective
  • un·con·fus·a·bly adverb

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of confuse1

First recorded in 1300–50; from Old French confus “perplexed,” from Latin confūsus “mixed, poured,” past participle of confundere; confound

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of confuse1

C18: back formation from confused, from Latin confūsus mingled together, from confundere to pour together; see confound

Discover More

Synonym Study

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.

Discover More

Example Sentences

Upside down and confused, the owl relaxed its wings, and I used my free arm to tuck them first against its body and then the body against me as though holding a swaddled newborn child.

These products could confuse consumers into accidentally ingesting a potentially deadly product.

Now, they are swimming in confusing murky waters when it comes to making decisions.

Proponents of the change argue that being associated with China has become problematic during the coronavirus pandemic because border agents tend to confuse them with citizens of communist China where Covid-19 is believed to have originated from.

From Quartz

Even the Democratic activists and insiders I spoke with who strongly support the party’s historical role in advancing underrepresented groups emerged from the 2016 election frightened and confused by its results.

Until then, men shall all wearily grow our facial hair, wear flannel, and confuse the hell out of each other out on the streets.

One gets the sense that they are wearing a mask to confuse their readers, and even to evade them.

Stephen Collins is just an actor, of course, and no one should confuse him with a character he played on TV.

This, in fact, is one of their big arguments and it works well to confuse base lines.

The increase in recognition of autism spectrum disorders in Western countries continues to confound and confuse.

I hate drums in the march,' said the king, 'they do nothing but confuse the step.

I've been studying motor manuals and all that sort of thing ever since I commenced to drive, but diagrams always confuse me.

The great number and intricacy of these objects confuse the senses and do not permit the eye to rest.

But at first the telectroscope only served to confuse them more.

Couldn't he confuse her into going off with him, at least temporarily?

Advertisement

Word of the Day

tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

Meaning and examples

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


confusableconfused