Refine this word faster

Stronger alternatives Opposite tone Use in context Cross-language nuance

Confuse

//kənˈfjuːz// adj, verb

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Synonym of confused. obsolete

    "Moꝛe ouer take away oꝛdre from all thynges / what ſhulde than remayne? certes nothynge finally / except ſome man wolde imagine eftſones / Chaos: whiche of ſome is expounde a cõfuse mixture: […]"

Verb
  1. 1
    to puzzle, perplex, baffle, bewilder (somebody); to afflict by being complicated, contradictory, or otherwise difficult to understand transitive

    "It confused me when I went to the office and nobody was there, but then I realised it was Sunday."

  2. 2
    mistake one thing for another wordnet
  3. 3
    To mix up, muddle up (one thing with another); to mistake (one thing for another). transitive

    "People who say "hola" to Italians are confusing Italian with Spanish."

  4. 4
    make unclear, indistinct, or blurred wordnet
  5. 5
    To mix thoroughly; to confound; to disorder. transitive

    "The dense fog utterly confused traffic on the highway."

Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly wordnet
  2. 7
    To make uneasy and ashamed; to embarrass. dated, transitive
  3. 8
    assemble without order or sense wordnet
  4. 9
    To rout; discomfit. obsolete, transitive
  5. 10
    cause to feel embarrassment wordnet
  6. 11
    To be confused. intransitive

Etymology

Etymology 1

Back-formation from confused, from Middle English confused (“frustrated, ruined”), from Anglo-Norman confus, from Latin cōnfūsus, past participle of cōnfundō.

Etymology 2

From Middle English confus, from Old French confus, from Latin cōnfūsus, past participle of cōnfundō.

See also for "confuse"

Synonyms Antonyms Rhymes Sentences Translate Word Type Pronunciation Word Forms

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciation

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: confuse