Confuse

• POS: Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: con=fuse

CIDE DICTIONARY

Confuse, a. [F. confus, L. confusus, p. p. of confundere. See Confound.].

 Mixed; confounded.  Baret.  [1913 Webster]

Confuse, v. t. 

•  To mix or blend so that things can not be distinguished; to jumble together; to confound; to render indistinct or obscure; as, to confuse accounts; to confuse one's vision.  [1913 Webster]

  "A universal hubbub wild
  Of stunning sounds and voices all confused."  [1913 Webster]
•  To perplex; to disconcert; to abash; to cause to lose self-possession.  [1913 Webster]

  "Nor thou with shadowed hint confuse
  A life that leads melodious days."  [1913 Webster]

  "Confused and sadly she at length replied."

Syn. -- To abash; disorder; disarrange; disconcert; confound; obscure; distract. See Abash.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Confuse, v.tr.
1 a disconcert, perplex, bewilder. b embarrass.
2 mix up in the mind; mistake (one for another).
3 make indistinct (that point confuses the issue).
4 (as confused adj.) mentally decrepit.
5 (often as confused adj.) throw into disorder (a confused jumble of clothes).

Derivative

confusedly adv. confusing adj. confusingly adv.

Etymology

19th-c. back-form. f. confused (14th c.) f. OF confus f. L confusus: see confound

THESAURUS

Confuse

abash, addle, addle the wits, agitate, baffle, ball up, becloud, bedazzle, befog, befuddle, bemuse, bewilder, blur, blur distinctions, bollix up, botch, bother, buffalo, bug, cap, cast down, chagrin, cloud, color, complicate, confound, daze, dazzle, deform, derange, disarrange, discombobulate, discomfit, discompose, disconcert, discountenance, dishevel, dismay, disorder, disorganize, disorient, disquiet, distort, distract, disturb, dizzy, embarrass, embrangle, ensnarl, entangle, faze, flummox, flurry, fluster, flutter, fog, fog up, foul up, fuddle, fumble, fuss, fuzz, garble, implicate, involve, jumble, jumble together, knock galley-west, knot, louse up, make uncertain, maze, mess up, miscolor, misdeem, misguide, misidentify, mislead, mist, mix, mix up, mizzle, moider, mortify, muck up, muddle, muddy, mull, mystify, obfuscate, obscure, overlook distinctions, perplex, perturb, pervert, pi, play hob with, pose, pother, put out, puzzle, raise hell, ramify, rattle, ravel, riffle, ruffle, scramble, screw up, shame, shuffle, snafu, snarl, snarl up, stumble, tangle, throw, throw into confusion, throw off, throw out, tumble, twist, unform, unsettle, unshape, upset, warp, wrench, wrest

ROGET THESAURUS

Confuse

Derangement

VB derange, disarrange, misarrange, displace, misplace, mislay, discompose, disorder, deorganize, discombobulate, disorganize, embroil, unsettle, disturb, confuse, trouble, perturb, jumble, tumble, shuffle, randomize, huddle, muddle, toss, hustle, fumble, riot, bring into disorder, put into disorder, throw into disorder, muss, break the ranks, disconcert, convulse, break in upon, unhinge, dislocate, put out of joint, throw out of gear, turn topsy-turvy, bedevil, complicate, involve, perplex, confound, imbrangle, embrangle, tangle, entangle, ravel, tousle, towzle, dishevel, ruffle, rumple, litter, scatter, mix, rearrange.

Humility

VB be humble, deign, vouchsafe, condescend, humble oneself, demean oneself, stoop, stoop to conquer, carry coals, submit, submit with a good grace, yield the palm, lower one's tone, lower one's note, sing small, draw in one's horns, sober down, hide one's face, hide one's diminished head, not dare to show one's face, take shame to oneself, not have a word to say for oneself, feel shame, be conscious of shame, feel disgrace, be conscious of disgrace, drink the cup of humiliation to the dregs, blush for, blush up to the eves, redden, change color, color up, hang one's head, look foolish, feel small, render humble, humble, humiliate, let down, set down, take down, tread down, frown down, snub, abash, abase, make one sing small, strike dumb, teach one his distance, put down, take down a peg, take down a peg lower, throw into the shade, cast into the shade, stare out of countenance, put out of countenance, put to the blush, confuse, ashame, mortify, disgrace, crush, send away with a flea in one's ear, get a setdown.

Inattention

VB be inattentive, overlook, disregard, pass by, not observe, think little of, close one's eyes to, shut one's eyes to, pay no attention to, dismiss from one's thoughts, discard from one's thoughts, discharge from one's thoughts, dismiss from one's mind, discard from one's mind, discharge from one's mind, drop the subject, think no more of, set aside, turn aside, put aside, turn away from, turn one's attention from, turn a deaf ear to, turn one's back upon, abstract oneself, dream, indulge in reverie, escape notice, escape attention, come in at one ear and go out at the other, forget, call off the attention, draw off the attention, call away the attention, divert the attention, distract the mind, put out of one's head, disconcert, discompose, put out, confuse, perplex, bewilder, moider, fluster, muddle, dazzle, throw a sop to Cerberus.

Indiscrimination

VB not discriminate, overlook a distinction, confound, confuse.

Uncertainty

VB be uncertain, wonder whether, lose the clue, lose the clew, scent, miss one's way, not know what to make of, not know which way to turn, not know whether one stands on one s head or one's, float in a sea of doubt, hesitate, flounder, lose oneself, lose one's head, muddle one's brains, render uncertain, put out, pose, puzzle, perplex, embarrass, confuse, confound, bewilder, bother, molder, addle the wits, throw off the scent, ambiguas in vulgus spargere voces, keep in suspense, doubt, hang in the balance, tremble in the balance, depend.

Unintelligibility

VB be unintelligible, require explanation, have a doubtful meaning, pass comprehension, render unintelligible, conceal, darken, confuse, perplex, not understand, lose, lose the clue, miss, not know what to make of, be able to make nothing of, give it up, not be able to account for, not be able to make either head or tail of, be at sea, wonder, see through a glass darkly, not understand one another, play at cross purposes.