confusion

noun

kən-ˈfyü-zhən How to pronounce confusion (audio)
Definition of confusionnext
1
as in fog
a state of mental uncertainty the farmer's driving directions to the fairground just left us in total confusion

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2
as in havoc
a state in which everything is out of order it was hard to find anything in that confusion in the attic

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3
as in embarrassment
the emotional state of being made self-consciously uncomfortable thrown into speechless confusion by the wild accusations

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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 confusion Already preparing for its fourth corporate ownership change in the past decade, employees at the company will experience confusion and inertia in the coming months. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 24 July 2026 Taylor Farms' lettuce has been the only source named by the FDA thus far, though even that has prompted some confusion. — Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 24 July 2026 When Bowman then signed Stanley Cup-winning starter Frederik Andersen, the confusion deepened. — Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 24 July 2026 Atlassian Service Collection provides comprehensive and flexible tools for creating and managing tickets, but the variety of available options might create some confusion. — John Brandon, PC Magazine, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for confusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confusion
  1. fog
  2. havoc
  3. embarrassment
  4. tangle
  5. chaos
  6. unease
  7. perplexity
  8. jumble
Noun
  • However, once the sun and Mercury enter your sign — and join forces in a Cazimi — the fog begins to clear and a personal decision comes into focus.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Showers will linger Sunday night into Monday morning, then areas of fog are likely into Monday morning with light winds and generally cloudy skies.
    — Trey Fulbright, CBS News, 30 July 2026
Definition of fog
Noun
  • Being asked to prove yourself to AI can play havoc on your confidence and ruin your chances of getting your foot in the door.
    — Colleen Batchelder, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • That also plays havoc with his control over his web-shooting capabilities, both the old-school organic method and the tech version built for him by Tony Stark.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 July 2026
Definition of havoc
Noun
  • Our state’s ballot access laws are an anti-democratic embarrassment.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026
  • In cases like Starbucks Korea, the issue extends beyond embarrassment because the campaign inadvertently touched on events that remain culturally and politically sensitive.
    — Karen Stollznow, The Conversation, 23 July 2026
Definition of embarrassment
Noun
  • The delicately striated crystal floated up from its tangle of purple moss, rotating slowly before Rey snapped her full concentration toward it, holding it firmly in the air and between her two outstretched hands.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 27 July 2026
  • Advertisement At the very center of its tangle of experiences and identities, objectives and conflicts, is Alice.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 27 July 2026
Definition of tangle
Noun
  • Sacramento State is planning its biggest homecoming celebration yet as the university begins its first football season in the Mid-American Conference, but this year's festivities come with a major change after a concert last season ended in chaos.
    — Steve Large, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • Sometimes his approach is so left-of-center that whole lines feel arrhythmic, but there’s a sedative allure in the way his sweet melodies find stasis in the chaos.
    — Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 31 July 2026
Definition of chaos
Noun
  • Shares of Google parent Alphabet were around 4% lower in premarket trading, but that primarily reflected investor unease over rising AI spending outlined in the company's earnings report on Wednesday.
    — Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 23 July 2026
  • There’s understandably a lot of unease and a lot of complaint.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026
Definition of unease
Noun
  • The first weeks were a roller coaster of pleasure and perplexity.
    — Tim Parks, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2026
  • The fashion world, for the most part, reacted with perplexity.
    — Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2026
Definition of perplexity
Noun
  • Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality.
    — Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.
    — Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of jumble

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Cite this Entry

“Confusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confusion. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on confusion

Nglish: Translation of confusion for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about confusion

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