confuse

(kən-fyūz')

v., -fused, -fus·ing, -fus·es.

v.tr.

1. 1. To cause to be unable to think with clarity or act with intelligence or understanding; throw off.
   2. To cause to feel embarrassment.
2. 1. To mistake (for another): confused effusiveness with affection.
   2. To make opaque; blur: "The old labels ... confuse debate instead of clarifying it" (Christopher Lasch).
   3. To assemble without order or sense; jumble.
3. Archaic. To bring to ruination.

v.intr.
To make something unclear or incomprehensible: a new tax code that only further confuses.

[Middle English confusen, from Old French confus, perplexed, from Latin cōnfūsus, past participle of cōnfundere, to mix together. See confound.]

confusable con·fus'a·ble adj.
confusingly con·fus'ing·ly adv.

SYNONYMS   confuse, addle, befuddle, discombobulate, fuddle, muddle, throw. These verbs mean to cause to be unclear in mind or intent: heavy traffic that confused the driver; problems that addle my brain; a question that befuddled even the professor; was discombobulated by all of the possibilities; a complex plot line that fuddled my comprehension; a student who was muddled by endless facts and figures; behavior that really threw me.

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verb

1. To cause to be unclear in mind or intent: addle, befuddle, bewilder, confound, discombobulate, dizzy, fuddle, jumble, mix up, muddle, mystify, perplex, puzzle. Informal throw. Idioms: make one's headreelswimwhirl. See clear/unclear, feelings.
2. To cause (a person) to be self-consciously distressed: abash, chagrin, confound, discomfit, discomfort, disconcert, discountenance, embarrass, faze, mortify. Idioms: put on the spot, throw for a loop. See pain/pleasure.
3. To take (one thing) mistakenly for another: confound, mistake, mix up. See correct/incorrect.
4. To put into total disorder: ball up, disorder, jumble, mess up, muddle, scramble, snarl. Slang snafu. Idioms: play havoc with. See order/disorder.

v

Definition: bewilder someone
Antonyms: clarify, clear up, enlighten, explain

v

Definition: mix up; involve
Antonyms: order, organize, separate

IN BRIEF: To mix up or jumble; to fail to distinguish one thing from another.

The identical twins always confuse their teachers.

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sign description: Both clawed hands move in a twisting motion with palms facing each other.

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For a list of words related to confuse, see:

• Strategy and Tactics - confuse: (vb) make unclear or blurred; perplex or bewilder

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See words rhyming with "confuse."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Confuse.

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - forvirre, blande sammen, gøre uklar
v. intr. - blande tingene sammen

Nederlands (Dutch)
(met elkaar) verwarren, in verwarring brengen, onzeker maken

Français (French)
v. tr. - troubler, confondre avec, compliquer, embrouiller (qn), mettre la confusion dans, confondre
v. intr. - rendre incompréhensible, rendre confus, embrouiller

Deutsch (German)
v. - verwechseln, verwirren

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - αναστατώνω, μπερδεύω, προκαλώ σύγχυση ή σάστισμα, φέρνω σε αμηχανία, μπλέκω, μπερδεύω

Italiano (Italian)
confondere, prendere per, scambiare per, scambiare con, scambiare, turbare, scombussolare, disorientare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - confundir

Русский (Russian)
запутывать, ставить в неловкое положение, смущать

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - confundir, complicar, embarullar, desconcertar, desorientar
v. intr. - confundirse, complicarse, embarullarse, desconcertarse, desorientarse

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - förvirra, röra ihop, förväxla

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
搞乱, 使糊涂, 分不清, 辨别不出

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 搞亂, 使糊塗
v. intr. - 分不清, 辨別不出

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 혼동하다, 혼란 시키다
v. intr. - 당황하다, 혼동하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 混乱させる, 困惑させる, 混同する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) حير, شوش, أربك‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮בלבל, ערבב‬
v. intr. - ‮עירפל (דבר) או עשה אותו ללא-מובן‬

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