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
Again, fans might have spotted this phenomenon when players seem to become confused about what they are supposed to be doing. — Roger Trapp, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 But when non-negotiable tasks are framed as questions, children can become confused about whether the task is actually optional. — Siggie Cohen, CNBC, 4 July 2026
Verb
The competing corridors have left ship operators confused, forcing them to navigate not only the treacherous waters but also the complex political currents across the strait. — Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 29 June 2026 One workshop is a Mindful Archery class, not to be confused with her other course Meditative Archery, which involves Jungian journaling; and there’s a one-on-one archery session with spiritual guidance. — Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 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
  • Entrepreneurship or a portfolio of roles feels messier than earning a regular salary because the risk is more visible.
    — Henrik Totterman, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • Many real texts from family members are short, rushed and a little messy.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of messy
Adjective
  • Fido was fine, if a little bewildered, and in February 1973, the board lifted its book bans.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026
  • At the risk of sounding less like a columnist and more like a bewildered bystander … what the heck happened?
    — Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2026
Definition of bewildered
Verb
  • Pochettino seemed puzzled by the downcast tone of his post-match press conference.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 26 June 2026
  • Astronomers are puzzled that such a glaring inconsistency could have gone unnoticed in existing data, such as the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), which provides our earliest snapshot of the universe.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 25 June 2026
Definition of puzzled
Verb
  • Ideally, costs are allocated to the customers who cause them, but that can be complicated to determine.
    — Theodore J. Kury, The Conversation, 6 July 2026
  • But the private sector’s unifying ambitions have been met with a mixed response, complicated by an uneasy national mood.
    — James Pollard, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Definition of complicated
Verb
  • While walking alongside his teammates, Kolek, 25, was briefly stopped by police, who seemingly mistook him for a fan.
    — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 19 June 2026
  • Canons of literature were curated by gatekeepers who mistook their vantage point for universality.
    — The Atlantic, The Atlantic, 16 June 2026
Definition of mistook
Verb
  • At one point, the narrator, embarrassed by his own act of cruelty, gives a sobbing woman all his money and then leaves her alone in a hotel room.
    — Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 1 July 2026
  • The Chicago White Sox, a team many left for dead at the start of the year, embarrassed the Kansas City Royals Friday night, 22-1.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026
Definition of embarrassed
Verb
  • The dangerous temperatures have already disrupted several events scheduled for Friday.
    — Erin McGarry, NBC news, 3 July 2026
  • The overlap of two warming patterns — one regional and one climate-scale — could compound stress on marine food webs that have already been repeatedly disrupted over the past decade.
    — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Definition of disrupted
Adjective
  • Interview with the Vampire’s composer Daniel Hart has taken the audience on a wonderfully chaotic journey through different styles of music in The Vampire Lestat.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
  • The events surrounding the funeral were chaotic, with eight people killed and hundreds injured, according to a report written by the Associated Press news agency at the time.
    — Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Definition of chaotic

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confused
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Cite this Entry

“Confused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confused. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of confused for Spanish Speakers

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