confused

1 of 2

adjective

con·​fused kən-ˈfyüzd 

1

a

: being perplexed or disconcerted

the confused students

b

: disoriented with regard to one's sense of time, place, or identity

The patient became confused.

2

: indistinguishable

… a zigzag, crisscross, confused trail …

—Harry Hervey

3

: being disordered or mixed up

a contradictory and often confused story

confusedly

kən-ˈfyü-zəd-lē 

-ˈfyüzd-

adverb

confusedness

kən-ˈfyü-zəd-nəs 

-ˈfyüz(d)-

noun

confused

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of confuse

Synonyms of confused

Adjective

• messy
• chaotic
• jumbled
• littered
• sloppy
• cluttered
• messed
• muddled

Examples of confused in a Sentence

Adjective

I've never been so confused.

We're confused about what to do next.

He gave a confused speech denying the accusations.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Instead, your teams are confused about who owns the outcomes, your frontline staff doesn't trust the system and your executives are asking whether this was worth the investment. — Dr. Nore Salman, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Also, if the switch from side by side to one-front/one-back happened instantaneously, your brain would get confused about how to interpret the images delivered from each eye, since the setup would be quite different from what you were used to. — Abigail Witmer, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026

Critics of the move have been vocal, and many residents were left confused. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Black responded in December, indicating that he was flattered but confused. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English — more at confuse

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for confused

• disabused
• overused
• underused
• unexcused
• abused
• accused
• amused
• bemused
• contused
• defused
• diffused
• disused

Medical Definition

confused

adjective

con·​fused kən-ˈfyüzd 

: affected with mental confusion