confusion

noun

kən-ˈfyü-zhən How to pronounce confusion (audio)
Definition of confusionnext
1
as in fog
a state of mental uncertainty the farmer's driving directions to the fairground just left us in total confusion

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2
as in havoc
a state in which everything is out of order it was hard to find anything in that confusion in the attic

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3
as in embarrassment
the emotional state of being made self-consciously uncomfortable thrown into speechless confusion by the wild accusations

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 confusion Already preparing for its fourth corporate ownership change in the past decade, employees at the company will experience confusion and inertia in the coming months. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 24 July 2026 Taylor Farms' lettuce has been the only source named by the FDA thus far, though even that has prompted some confusion. — Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 24 July 2026 When Bowman then signed Stanley Cup-winning starter Frederik Andersen, the confusion deepened. — Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 24 July 2026 Atlassian Service Collection provides comprehensive and flexible tools for creating and managing tickets, but the variety of available options might create some confusion. — John Brandon, PC Magazine, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for confusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confusion
  1. fog
  2. havoc
  3. embarrassment
  4. tangle
  5. chaos
  6. unease
  7. perplexity
  8. jumble
Noun
  • The majority of the West Coast and southern Alaska also see cooler Pacific air roll over the warmer land, creating a thick fog that can lower summer month temperatures.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 July 2026
  • Every change meant familiar faces leaving and old landmarks disappearing into the fog of the past.
    — William Jones, USA Today, 22 July 2026
Definition of fog
Noun
  • Hundreds of homes and businesses in Queens were without power Sunday after a sudden storm caused havoc across the city a day earlier, flooding major highways and leaving motorists stranded.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026
  • Bernthal’s biggest scenes are flashbacks to the Trojan War, as Menelaus and his army wreak bloody havoc on Troy that haunts Odysseus for many years after.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 16 July 2026
Definition of havoc
Noun
  • Our state’s ballot access laws are an anti-democratic embarrassment.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026
  • In cases like Starbucks Korea, the issue extends beyond embarrassment because the campaign inadvertently touched on events that remain culturally and politically sensitive.
    — Karen Stollznow, The Conversation, 23 July 2026
Definition of embarrassment
Noun
  • Luria, however, worried about that tangle of investments which bind the AI giants to their own customers; the love triangle of Google, Amazon and Anthropic; Microsoft and OpenAI, Nvidia and CoreWeave.
    — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 23 July 2026
  • During this time, the brain starts to shrink, and the misfolded proteins that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s begin to build up — sticky amyloid beta plaques in the brain and tau tangles in neurons.
    — Richard Sima, Washington Post, 21 July 2026
Definition of tangle
Noun
  • The dinner in April devolved into chaos after authorities say Cole Allen opened fire inside the Washington Hilton hotel, where thousands of journalists and guests gathered for the annual celebration of the First Amendment.
    — Fritz Farrow, ABC News, 25 July 2026
  • Brentford’s Michael Kayode caused chaos with his long throw in the Premier League last season too, but that was nothing on what Huddersfield’s Max Murray appears to be capable of.
    — George Edwards, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of chaos
Noun
  • Shares of Google parent Alphabet were around 4% lower in premarket trading, but that primarily reflected investor unease over rising AI spending outlined in the company's earnings report on Wednesday.
    — Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 23 July 2026
  • There’s understandably a lot of unease and a lot of complaint.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026
Definition of unease
Noun
  • The first weeks were a roller coaster of pleasure and perplexity.
    — Tim Parks, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2026
  • The fashion world, for the most part, reacted with perplexity.
    — Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2026
Definition of perplexity
Noun
  • Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality.
    — Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.
    — Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of jumble

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Cite this Entry

“Confusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confusion. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on confusion

Nglish: Translation of confusion for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about confusion

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