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confused 1 of 2

adjective

kən-ˈfyüzd How to pronounce confused (audio)
Definition of confusednext
1
as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness the cans were lying in a confused jumble in the basement

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2
as in bewildered
suffering from mental confusion she was briefly confused after her fall from the horse

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confused

2 of 2

verb

past tense of confuse
1
as in puzzled
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty the similar-sounding words "censure" and "censor" often confuse people

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2
as in complicated
to make (something) unclear to the understanding stop confusing the issue with irrelevant facts

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3
as in mistook
to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related a lot of people confuse popular fame with enduring achievement

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4
as in embarrassed
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress she was confused by the shocking bluntness of his marriage proposal

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5
as in disrupted
to undo the proper order or arrangement of vandals had hopelessly confused the papers in the office files

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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 confused
Adjective
After two planes struck the World Trade Center in New York City, Americans were scared, confused, and desperately looking for healing. — Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026 Take the reaction to their Saturday Night Live performance, all the confused and hostile comments from viewers unfamiliar with Geese’s game. — Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2026
Verb
The episode confused and irritated the Red Sox, and following Saturday’s win starting pitcher Sonny Gray acknowledged that Alexander’s antics had provided the club with extra motivation. — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 6 Sep. 2026 The Polo Room Not to be confused with Ralph Lauren’s Polo Bar, the Polo Room takes its name from the actual sport—international polo star Nacho Figueras is a co-owner, and his Argentine heritage runs throughout the restaurant. — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for confused
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confused
  1. messy
  2. bewildered
  3. puzzled
  4. complicated
  5. mistook
  6. embarrassed
  7. disrupted
  8. chaotic
Adjective
  • Football is a messy game with far too many variables for one statistic to ever fully grasp.
    — Austin Mock, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The districts' policies are part of a messy patchwork of new laws and guidelines that have spread across the United States, leaving inconsistent rules state-by-state, or even district-by-district.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of messy
Adjective
  • Five o’clock Saturday, the Riverside Stadium and Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg is fist-pumping a half-bewildered but fully enthused home crowd.
    — Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • When kids first got online, parents were bewildered and alarmed, but kids, who tend to gravitate to new technology, found freedom in a space that was basically ungoverned.
    — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of bewildered
Verb
  • Researchers have been puzzled by the intricacies of the genome, especially noncoding DNA—the 98 percent of DNA that doesn’t code for specific proteins but still plays a major role in the body’s function.
    — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Authorities were puzzled but eventually determined a leading cause.
    — Betsy Joles, NPR, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of puzzled
Verb
  • The two wives soon strike up a tentative friendship as Ye-ji expresses interest in telling Ho-seok’s story — but the group dynamic grows increasingly complicated by their extreme class differences and subtly conflicting desires.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The road to secession is complicated, and as of this summer those favoring a new relationship with Ottawa did not seem to have anything close to a majority.
    — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of complicated
Verb
  • Fans initially mistook the glittery design for a tattoo before identifying it as one of Barrière’s top-selling offerings.
    — Sophie Dunne, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Keeley walked away before realizing that Roy mistook Erin for Keeley.
    — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of mistook
Verb
  • The disclosure embarrassed senior officials, led to White House aide Scooter Libby’s conviction for perjury, later commuted, and drew intense political scrutiny.
    — Brian O'Neill, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Clemson The Tigers were embarrassed by LSU in their season opener, but a lack of talent had nothing to do with it.
    — Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of embarrassed
Verb
  • China's ban on engineers and equipment last year had disrupted iPhone production, according to several media outlets.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Advertisement The Houthis previously disrupted shipping in 2024, in response to Israel’s occupation and bombardment of Gaza, and made a global impact.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of disrupted
Adjective
  • Local officials said the scene on the ground was chaotic, with multiple people taken to area hospitals.
    — Chandelis Duster, NPR, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Gilbertson’s involvement in the ports grew out of a series of chaotic mergers that in the 1990s led to endless disputes among shippers and the railroads about whose cargo would move first.
    — John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of chaotic

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confuse
confused
confusedly
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Cite this Entry

“Confused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confused. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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