1
as in tangles
a state of mental uncertainty
the farmer's driving directions to the fairground just left us in total confusion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in messes
a state in which everything is out of order
it was hard to find anything in that confusion in the attic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in embarrassments
the emotional state of being made self-consciously uncomfortable
thrown into speechless confusion by the wild accusations
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 confusions
Before the Lost Weekend, John and Yoko had their New York Year — turning their personal confusions into beautifully vivid moments of rage and pain.
—
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confusions
Noun
-
Accessories should be minimal and delicate, to avoid any tangles mid-journey.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
14 Jan. 2026
-
But the seven-member volunteer commission — long expected to take the reins from OPD’s federal overseers — still seems to be struggling to gain footing within Oakland’s complex bureaucratic tangles.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Make sure to clean up spills and messes as soon as the oven cools down to prevent buildup.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Matching the right type of vacuum to your flooring surface and the common messes in your home can be tricky business.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But anomaly detection may have prevented embarrassments like the one at OPERA.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
3 Feb. 2026
-
All the teams ran largely reliably and there were no major embarrassments playing out in front of the public and the media.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Barresi and Cuellar hold each other up with palpable tenderness, each one crafting a long, poignant arc from innocence through the fogs and thorns of experience.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
21 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The result also spotlights conference championships’ awkward fit in the current system, particularly given the fact that conference expansion has led to jumbles atop each league’s standings.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
7 Dec. 2025
-
Ray’s most chaotic photograms—jumbles that push out of the frame or look like time bombs ready to explode—find echoes in his films, projected on the back walls, a show in themselves.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Smith stays largely mum on the news of the day, be that Kirk’s killing, or ICE raids, or whatever hells await in the coming weeks.—
Sam Kestenbaum,
Vulture,
2 Jan. 2026
-
The protagonist's youth doesn't defang the story, as Silent Hill f wastes no time thrusting Hinako and her friends into their personal hells.—
Zackery Cuevas,
PC Magazine,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
With these tools, investigators can detect areas that have been damaged by brain disorders, such as strokes, and test whether that damage can be linked to specific changes in behavior.—
Christopher M. Filley,
The Conversation,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Many of my patients are trying to quit while juggling unstable housing, job insecurity, untreated trauma, or substance use disorders.—
Timothy Vermillion,
New York Daily News,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This is about Tom Homan and Greg Bovino and Kristi Noem and all the other immigration officials that have wrought so much unfounded havoc.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Expect Williams and Murphy to wreak similar havoc.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Confusions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confusions. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
