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

Derived Forms

• conˌfusaˈbility, noun
• conˈfusable, adjectivenoun

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of confuse¹

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

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.

Example Sentences

“The results of Propositions 33 and 34 prove only one thing: If billionaires spend more than $170 million lying and confusing voters, they are virtually guaranteed to win,” Weinstein said.

From Los Angeles Times

When McCarthy sent her the manuscript for “All the Pretty Horses” in the 1980s, she was confused by how much the novel was “full of me, and yet isn’t me.”

From Los Angeles Times

"People confuse their sympathy for Harris’s position for her having been a good candidate," he said.

From Salon

Could Thomas Tuchel possibly be more confused about who to pick?

From BBC

Bass recalled her House colleagues regularly confusing her with Congresswomen Marsha Fudge of Ohio and Barbara Lee of Oakland, who are also Black.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• amaze
• astonish
• baffle
• befuddle
• bemuse
• complicate
• confound
• daze
• demoralize
• disconcert
• disorient
• distract
• embarrass
• fluster
• frustrate
• involve
• misinform
• mislead
• mortify
• muddle