1
as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
the cans were lying in a confused jumble in the basement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bewildered
suffering from mental confusion
she was briefly confused after her fall from the horse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in puzzled
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
the similar-sounding words "censure" and "censor" often confuse people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in complicated
to make (something) unclear to the understanding
stop confusing the issue with irrelevant facts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in disrupted
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
vandals had hopelessly confused the papers in the office files
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of confused
Katie Jackson, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026
For many, the mention of algebra summons only unhappy memories of confused encounters with inscrutable equations.
—Dan Rockmore, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
Byron Tau, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
McTeigue was in London recording the film’s score with a 110-piece orchestra and was confused as to why the meeting needed to take place in person.
—Matthew Huff, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for confused
Adjective
My tormentor bolted, leaving me behind—bloody, battered, and confused.
—Katie Jackson, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026
For many, the mention of algebra summons only unhappy memories of confused encounters with inscrutable equations.
—Dan Rockmore, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
Verb
Evacuation messaging to Americans in the region came late and initially confused, with some embassies unprepared for the crisis.
—Byron Tau, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
McTeigue was in London recording the film’s score with a 110-piece orchestra and was confused as to why the meeting needed to take place in person.
—Matthew Huff, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for confused
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confused
Adjective
-
That’s something that the broader AI industry has so far struggled to do, partly because LLMs are typically trained on vast, messy datasets scraped from across the internet, where ownership, consent and individual contributions from millions of sources are nearly impossible to track.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Over the years, messy planning has led to controversial, costly golden parachutes, shareholder lawsuits, a stockholder revolt and a bitter, distracting proxy fight.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Desmond is wonderful in the part, finding sympathy and just the right amount of bewildered charisma without tipping into caddishness.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Be careful about coming on so strong that others are bewildered or defensive.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the 2000 play, now in a Shotgun Players production directed by Kevin Clarke, Martin is puzzled by himself.—
Theater Critic,
San Francisco Chronicle,
15 Mar. 2026
-
At first, McCutchen was puzzled.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Jalloh was ultimately issued a final order of removal, stipulating that he could be deported anywhere other than his country of origin, but the deportation process was complicated by third-country removal restrictions.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas said that history had complicated her view of him.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
An asteroid weighing about 7 tons and traveling at 45,000 miles per hour zoomed over multiple states and lit up the sky as a meteor Tuesday morning, causing a loud boom that some residents mistook for an explosion, officials said.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Hoyas guard Fred Brown mistook Carolina’s James Worthy for a teammate and passed the ball right to his opponent.—
Bill Hancock,
Kansas City Star,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Tonight’s ceremony had none of the major dramatic mishaps that have both embarrassed the Academy Awards’ organizers and affirmed the event’s status as must-see live TV.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The Americans were left to root for the same team that embarrassed them, and that team delivered.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The war with Iran has disrupted oil production and distribution as the Islamic Republic targets shipping traffic and energy infrastructure with the intention of inflicting economic pain on its adversaries.—
Claire Malon,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
-
But the war with Iran has also disrupted some key air shipping lanes, particularly to Europe.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
However, similarly chaotic conditions have not been replicated at either DFW or Love Field.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Dvornychenko was reunited with two boys almost two years after that chaotic night of her arrest.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Confused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confused. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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