confused 1 of 2

adjective

kən-ˈfyüzd How to pronounce confused (audio)
Definition of confusednext
1
as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness the cans were lying in a confused jumble in the basement

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2
as in bewildered
suffering from mental confusion she was briefly confused after her fall from the horse

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confused

2 of 2

verb

past tense of confuse
1
as in puzzled
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty the similar-sounding words "censure" and "censor" often confuse people

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2
as in complicated
to make (something) unclear to the understanding stop confusing the issue with irrelevant facts

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3
as in mistook
to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related a lot of people confuse popular fame with enduring achievement

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4
as in embarrassed
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress she was confused by the shocking bluntness of his marriage proposal

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5
as in disrupted
to undo the proper order or arrangement of vandals had hopelessly confused the papers in the office files

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of confused
Adjective
Instead, the confused driver took them north of the city to Stoneham before finally turning around. — Logan Hall, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 Employees leave these conversations confused, discouraged and wondering why concerns were never addressed before the formal review process. — Lauren Russell, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Verb
The couple was initially confused, considering where the birdhouse had been left, but the confusion quickly gave way to laughter. — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026 Cirque Dreams, which also offers several other touring shows, used to be regularly confused with Cirque du Soleil strictly because of the similarity of their names. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for confused
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confused
  1. messy
  2. bewildered
  3. puzzled
  4. complicated
  5. mistook
  6. embarrassed
  7. disrupted
  8. chaotic
Adjective
  • Where there might be a nugget of truth (water-holding, adhesion, seed spacing), there are simpler, proven, and less messy alternatives.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The game commenced with four unanswered scores from Jenks and sloppy play from Southlake Carroll that included a handful of early penalties, messy substitutions and a lack of rhythm.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of messy
Adjective
  • That bewildered shake of the head after Meyer's pitch in that video is not a rare occurrence for Raleigh this year.
    — Eno Sarris, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • On Douban, a popular Chinese movie-review platform, viewers piled on with mocking and bewildered comments.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of bewildered
Verb
  • Just ask Australian break dancer Rachael Gunn, whose performance at the 2024 Olympics puzzled viewers the world over.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Three bears were taken, and, in keeping with the southern tradition of bear hunting, Roosevelt’s hosts were a bit puzzled by the president’s disappointment.
    — Paul Schullery, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of puzzled
Verb
  • The controversy was complicated by the fact that some prominent rabbis had actually met with Galliano before the exhibition was announced and had come away believing that his repentance was sincere, as JTA reported earlier this month.
    — Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
  • College endowments can be complicated, with the money held across hundreds or even thousands of separate funds.
    — Bloomberg, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of complicated
Verb
  • When one of the Fox sportscasters mistook Matt Damon for Brad Pitt, several news organizations mistakenly reported that Pitt was there.
    — Bobby Allyn, NPR, 13 Aug. 2026
  • In that are shades of Woodstock 1994, where Green Day and the crowd flung mud at each other, and Dirnt wound up getting his front teeth knocked out by a security guard who mistook him for a fan.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of mistook
Verb
  • One night earlier in the tour, a woman Usher had brought onstage rebuked him, which embarrassed him.
    — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2026
  • This isn’t a hypercar to smash lap records around the Nürburgring, but nor will it be embarrassed by a Porsche 911 GT3 at a track day.
    — Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of embarrassed
Verb
  • Efforts to bring the outbreak under control — from limited public gatherings to social distancing and airport closures — have disrupted life in the six affected provinces, particularly Ituri, which has been ravaged by rebel violence.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The choices of what to put in each episode — and when to cut from one timeline to another — have sometimes felt arbitrary, and have often disrupted the story’s overall flow.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of disrupted
Adjective
  • To cap the most chaotic week of his managerial career, Joe Espada celebrated his 51st birthday on Sunday.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Today marks five years since the chaotic, deadly ending of America's nearly 20-year war in Afghanistan.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of chaotic

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confuse
confused
confusedly
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Cite this Entry

“Confused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confused. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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