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confusion Definition

con·fu·sion (kən fyo̵̅o̅z̸hən)

noun

a confusing or being confused; specif.,

  1. state of disorder
  2. bewilderment; distraction
  3. embarrassment
  4. failure to distinguish between things

Etymology: ME & OFr < L confusio

confusion Related Forms
con·fu·sional adjective
confusion Idioms

covered with confusion

greatly embarrassed

confusion Synonyms

confusion

n.

  1. The act of confusing

    obscuring, blurring, mixing up, upsetting, disturbing, embarrassing, discomfiting, abashing, agitating, addling, fuddling, miscalculation, miscalculating, befuddling, tangling, mixing, cluttering, disarranging, unsettling, dumbfounding, confounding, perplexing, demoralization, stirring up, snarling, embroiling, misconceiving.

    Antonyms straightening, order*, arranging.

  2. A confused state

    disorder, disarray, chaos, jumble, mess, muddle, lack of clearness, lack of distinction, mixup, bewilderment, perplexity, puzzlement, disorientation, bafflement, dislocation, anarchy, complication, intricacy, untidiness, complexity, labyrinth, wilderness, discomfiture, embarrassment, abashment, difficulty, mistake, turmoil, tumult, pandemonium, bedlam, commotion, stir, flurry, ferment, imbroglio, convulsion, bustle, trouble, row, riot, uproar, fracas, agitation, discomposure, emotional upset, daze, fog, haze, blur, ambiguity, obscurity, perturbation, mystification, consternation, befuddlement, distraction, stupefaction, racket, din, Babel, hubbub, ado, disarrangement, mismanagement, excitement, flutter, dither, hysteria, disharmony, turbulence, dismay, uncertainty, maze, quandary, clutter, entanglement, tangle, disorganization, breakdown, knot, congestion, tie-up, interference, nervousness, melee, Gordian knot, derangement, snarl, snag, farrago, hodgepodge, mare's-nest, jungle*, to-do*, hurly-burly*, shutdown*, bungle*, botch*, foul-up*, screw-up*, rumpus*, scramble*, shuffle*, stew*, muddle-headedness*, discombobulation*, tizzy*, going round and round*, jam*, fix*, pretty mess*, pretty pickle*, snafu*; see also disorder 2, disturbance 2, embarrassment 1.

    Antonyms quiet*, calm*, order*, comprehension.

confusion suggests an indiscriminate mixing or putting together of things so that it is difficult to distinguish the individual elements or parts the hall was a confusion of languages; disorder and disarray imply a disturbance of the proper order or arrangement of parts the room was in disorder, her clothes were in disarray; chaos implies total and apparently irremediable lack of organization the troops are in a state of chaos; jumble suggests a confused mixture of dissimilar things his drawer was a jumble of clothing and books; muddle implies a snarled confusion resulting from mismanagement or incompetence they've made a muddle of the negotiations

covered with confusion
confusion Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • avoid: The computer uses * to avoid confusion with the letter x.
  • cause: Rights of passage The Human Rights Act has caused much confusion among security managers.
  • sow: In short, we have degraded and sown confusion into the uppermost ranks of al-Qa'ida.
  • ensue: We grew weary of the ensuing confusion and eventually relinquished the name.
  • eliminate: Owner control of objects eliminates confusion concerning who controls access to each object.
  • prevent: Their explanation; " to prevent consumer confusion " .

Adjective modifier

  • considerable: Defining what choice means in the public sector There is considerable confusion over what enhanced choice actually means.
  • conceptual: The idea that it might be something more is a mixture of empirical and conceptual confusion.
  • unnecessary: It is an issue that I have been involved with, along with Liz, on this work and it causes unnecessary confusion.
  • momentary: Every thread seems to deal with some stumbling block or other, or at least momentary confusions.
  • slight: In thick cloud, & slight confusion of meeting Italian party, I have gone S not N. Careless.

Modifies a noun

  • reign: As blood alcohol concentrations reach 0.18 to 0.30 percent confusion reigns.

Noun used with modifier

  • voter: Angus MacNeil ( SNP ) asked about voter confusion under the current system and said STV maximized power to voters.
  • consumer: Their explanation; " to prevent consumer confusion " .

Preposition: in

  • mind: Therefore despite the fact that the goods were identical, there was no likelihood of confusion in the mind of the targeted public.
  • literature: Sources of confusion in literature on the psychic / occult aspects of reality.

Preposition: of

  • tongue: The natural consequences soon follow in the confusion of tongues.
  • identity: Even stationary, there is no confusion of identity.
  • thought: Secondly, there is some confusion of thought about this question of private treatment.
confusion Quotes

At the time it is all a confusion; in retrospect†all a blur.

—Schlesinger, Arthur M(eier),Jr

Perfections of means and confusion of goals seemöin my opinionöto characterize our age.

—Einstein, Albert

Ruin seize thee, ruthless King! Confusion on thy banners wait, Tho'fanned by Conquest's crimson wing They mock the air with idle state.

—Gray,Thomas

I have nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion.

—Kerouac,Jack (John)

The baby, assailed by eyes, ears, nose, skin, and entrails at once, feels it all as one great blooming, buzzing confusion.

—James,William

In thee,O L, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.

—Bible (Old Testament)

O, nothing is more alluring than a levee from a couch in some confusion.

—Congreve,William

Browse dictionary entries near confusion

  1. confusing
  2. confused
  3. confuse
  4. Confucius
  5. Confucianism
  6. confronting
  7. confrontation clause
  8. confrontation
  9. confront
  10. confrere
  1. confusion of goods
  2. confutation
  3. confute
  4. cong
  5. congé
  6. conga
  7. Congaree
  8. congeal
  9. congee
  10. congelation