confusion

con·fu·sion

noun \kən-ˈfyü-zhən\

: a situation in which people are uncertain about what to do or are unable to understand something clearly

: the feeling that you have when you do not understand what is happening, what is expected, etc.

: a state or situation in which many things are happening in a way that is not controlled or orderly

Full Definition of CONFUSION

1

:  an act or instance of confusing <confusion of the issue>

2

a :  the quality or state of being confused <try to relieve their confusion>

b :  a confused mass or mixture <a confusion of voices>

— con·fu·sion·al \-ˈfyüzh-nəl, -ˈfyü-zhə-n^əl\ adjective

Examples of CONFUSION

1. There is still some confusion as to the time of the meeting.
2. There is a great deal of confusion about how the system works.
3. the anxieties and confusions of teenage life
4. He stared in confusion and disbelief.
5. There was total confusion when the truck hit the restaurant.

First Known Use of CONFUSION

14th century

Related to CONFUSION

Synonyms

bafflement, bamboozlement, befuddlement, bemusement, bewilderedness, bewilderment, confusedness, discombobulation, distraction, fog, head-scratching, maze [chiefly dialect], muddle, mystification, perplexity, puzzlement, tangle, whirl

Antonyms

order, orderliness

Related Words

abashment, discomfiture, disconcertment, embarrassment, mortification; agitation, chagrin, discomfort, dismay, disquiet, distress, disturbance, perturbation, upset; bother, commotion, dither, flurry, fluster, fuss, stew, turmoil

Near Antonyms

assurance, certainty, certitude, confidence, conviction, positiveness, sureness

Rhymes with CONFUSION

affusion, allusion, Carthusian, collusion, conclusion, contusion, delusion, diffusion, effusion, elusion, exclusion, extrusion, illusion, inclusion, infusion, intrusion, Malthusian, obtrusion, occlusion, perfusion, prelusion, profusion, prolusion, protrusion, reclusion, seclusion, transfusion, Venusian

con·fu·sion

noun \kən-ˈfyü-zhən\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of CONFUSION

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

—con·fu·sion·al \-zhnəl, -zhən-^əl\ adjective