Confused

//kənˈfjuːzd// adj, verb

adj, verb ·Common ·Middle school level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    simple past and past participle of confuse form-of, participle, past
Adjective
  1. 1
    unable to think clearly or understand

    "A new survey suggests that most Americans are confused about what counts as a healthy food choice."

  2. 2
    disoriented
  3. 3
    chaotic, jumbled or muddled
  4. 4
    making no sense; illogical
  5. 5
    embarrassed
Adjective
  1. 1
    mentally confused; unable to think with clarity or act intelligently wordnet
  2. 2
    lacking orderly continuity wordnet
  3. 3
    thrown into a state of disarray or confusion wordnet
  4. 4
    having lost your bearings; confused as to time or place or personal identity wordnet
  5. 5
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
befuddledbewildereddisordereddisorientedpuzzledabashed

Example

More examples

"I am confused by your frenzied behaviour."

Etymology

Originally from Middle English confused (“frustrated, ruined”), from Anglo-Norman confus + Middle English -ed (past participial suffix), from Latin cōnfūsus, past participle of cōnfundō; now equivalent to confuse (a back-formation) + -ed.

Related phrases

I'm confusedconfused deputyconfused flour beetlenipple-confused

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.