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

Try to relieve their confusion.

mental confusion

b

: a confused mass or mixture

a confusion of voices

confusional

kən-ˈfyüzh-nəl 

-ˈfyü-zhə-nᵊl

adjective

Synonyms

• 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

Ask the tweenagers who won’t stop saying both numbers, to the abject confusion of their parents. —Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2025

In an instant, her expression shifted from confusion to regret. —Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 15 Oct. 2025

Internally at studios and agencies, there’s confusion — and frustration — around the opt-out mechanism, according to people familiar with the matter, all of whom noted there’s no formal system for doing so and characterized Altman’s walk back as lip service. —Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025

Yet in an apparent reversal, the administration has been racing to rescind some of those firings, leading to even more confusion. —Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 14 Oct. 2025

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