confusion

1 a state of mental uncertainty the farmer's driving directions to the fairground just left us in total confusion Synonyms bafflement, bamboozlement, befuddlement, bemusement, bewilderedness, bewilderment, confusedness, discombobulation, distraction, fog, head-scratching, maze [chiefly dialect], muddle, mystification, perplexity, puzzlement, tangle, whirl Related Words abashment, discomfiture, disconcertment, embarrassment, mortification; agitation, chagrin, discomfort, dismay, disquiet, distress, disturbance, perturbation, upset; bother, commotion, dither, flurry, fluster, fuss, stew, turmoil Near Antonyms assurance, certainty, certitude, confidence, conviction, positiveness, sureness

2 a state in which everything is out of order it was hard to find anything in that confusion in the attic Synonyms chance-medley, chaos, disarrangement, disarray, dishevelment, disorder, disorderedness, disorderliness, disorganization, free-for-all, havoc, heck, hell, jumble, mare's nest, mess, messiness, misorder, muddle, muss, shambles, snake pit, tumble, welterRelated Words anarchy, lawlessness, misrule, riot; knot, snarl, tangle; labyrinth, maze, web; maelstrom, storm; bollix, clutter, litter, mishmash, shuffle; hodgepodge, medley, miscellany, morass, motleyNear Antonyms method, pattern, plan, systemAntonyms order, orderliness

3 the emotional state of being made self-consciously uncomfortable thrown into speechless confusion by the wild accusations Synonyms abashment, embarrassment, discomfiture, disconcertment, fluster, mortificationRelated Words agitation, bother, chagrin, discomfort, discomposure, dismay, disquiet, distress, disturbance, perturbation, unease, uneasiness, upset; disgrace, ignominy, shame; debasement, degradation, humiliation, mortification; humble pieNear Antonyms aplomb, assurance, composure, confidence, coolness, equanimity, poise, self-assurance, self-confidence, self-possession