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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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
Hannah Sacks, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Greer's baby items, and her dog staring in a confused manner.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Jay Stahl, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Why ice confused scientists For years, scientists wondered why ice was not piezoelectric.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for confused
Adjective
Ostapenko appeared visibly confused and shook her head multiple times as the argument carried on.
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Greer's baby items, and her dog staring in a confused manner.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
Huger was also the subject of viral bodycam footage that showed her difficulty speaking after the crash and making several statements that confused longtime fans.
—Jay Stahl, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Why ice confused scientists For years, scientists wondered why ice was not piezoelectric.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for confused
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confused
Adjective
-
Depending on how things shake out in court, representation could get messy for west Charlotte’s City Council District 3.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Sep. 2025
-
And that the wig was messy, but cute.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Wednesday confronts Bianca, who is bewildered about her Siren-song not sticking; Wednesday is taking control of things now and Bianca needs to trust her.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Layered in cream, bruised, bewildered, bald.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But at seven weeks, doctors were already puzzled.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Aug. 2025
-
Bill Gross, then-head of Pimco and a true bond market expert, was just as puzzled.—
George Calhoun,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The election is complicated by the fact that Brown faces felony fraud charges.—
Josh Bergeron,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Sep. 2025
-
This year, however, her 17-year-old stepdaughter made a request that has complicated everything.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The lenses were so long and the cameras so far back, in fact, that on occasion the local police mistook the film’s action for the real thing.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Phoenix police detained a man after National Guard members mistook him for bringing unexploded ordnance to the Papago Park Military Reservation for disposal as a bomb threat.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The bad weather may have been a better option for the Dolphins as they were embarrassed by the Colts, with a final score of 30-8.—
Andrew Wright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Getty Images The President fired the nation’s top labor statistician because the jobs numbers embarrassed him.—
Teresa Ghilarducci,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
When gamma rhythms are disrupted, as has been observed in ADHD, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease, signals may arrive out of step and fail to get through cleanly, resulting in poorer attention and memory functioning.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
2 Sep. 2025
-
In this game, the creatures are called Anima and they’ve been scattered all across the world when the balance of the magical ‘Nexus’ is disrupted.—
David Jagneaux,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This is a young and talented group with tremendous upside under a defensive coordinator who thrives off chaotic defensive lines.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
But everything about this first half offensively — save for one TD pass to Sutton — has felt unorganized and ineffective and chaotic.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confused. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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