confusion

noun

con·​fu·​sion kən-ˈfyü-zhən 

1

: an act or instance of confusing

confusion of the issue

2

a

: the quality or state of being confused

mental confusion

During the night orders and counterorders added to the confusion, … and by morning the VIth Corps was in a disorganized shambles …

—Barbara W. Tuchman

b

: a confused mass or mixture

a confusion of voices

confusional

kən-ˈfyü-zh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Synonyms of confusion

• fog
• tangle
• perplexity
• bewilderment
• discomfort
• befuddlement
• distress
• embarrassment
• bafflement

Examples of confusion in a Sentence

There is still some confusion as to the time of the meeting.

There is a great deal of confusion about how the system works.

the anxieties and confusions of teenage life

He stared in confusion and disbelief.

There was total confusion when the truck hit the restaurant.

Recent Examples on the Web

If either of those planes go down and there's confusion about where the president is, that puts you in a whole another universe. — ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026

Symptoms include anxiety, hypervigilance, confusion and mania, and taking on activities that might be considered strange. — Deborah Becker, NPR, 16 Aug. 2026

The confusion follows Frankie Valli’s decision in May to cancel a 2026 farewell tour due to his ongoing health challenges. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2026

But city officials said a provision allowing drivers to park for the protection of their vehicles created confusion and gave some motorists grounds to challenge tickets. — Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English confusioun "ruin, disgrace, disorder," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French confusiun, borrowed from Latin confūsiōn-, confūsiō "mixing, combining, disorder, consternation," from confud-, variant stem of confundere "to pour together, blend, bring into disorder, destroy, disconcert" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at confound

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for confusion

• allusion
• collusion
• conclusion
• contusion
• delusion
• diffusion
• effusion
• exclusion
• extrusion
• illusion
• inclusion
• infusion

Kids Definition

confusion

noun

con·​fu·​sion kən-ˈfyü-zhən 

1

: an act or instance of confusing

2

: the quality or state of being confused

her confusion was obvious

Medical Definition

confusion

noun

con·​fu·​sion kən-ˈfyü-zhən 

: disturbance of consciousness characterized by inability to engage in orderly thought or by lack of power to distinguish, choose, or act decisively

confusional

-zhnəl, -zhən-ᵊl 

adjective

Legal Definition

confusion

noun

con·​fu·​sion

1

in the civil law of Louisiana : a uniting of two interests or rights in property into one compare merger sense 1

2

in the civil law of Louisiana : the termination of an obligation by a person acquiring the right from which the obligation arose

3

: the mixing or blending together of goods or commodities so that the individual owners cannot identify their own property

called also confusion of goods