Confuse — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Confuse (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. to throw into a state of mental uncertainty

   "the similar-sounding words censure and censor often confuse people"

   similar: addle, baffle, bamboozle, beat, befog, befuddle, bemuse, bewilder, buffalo, confound, discombobulate, disorient, flummox, fox, fuddle, get, gravel, maze, muddle, muddy, mystify, perplex, pose, puzzle, vex, blow one's mind, go to one's head
   related: stick, stump, weird out, abash, discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, embarrass, faze, fluster, mortify, nonplus, rattle, agitate, bother, chagrin, discomfort, discompose, dismay, disquiet, distress, disturb, perturb, stun, unhinge, unsettle, upset, beguile, cozen, deceive, delude, dupe, fool, gull, hoax, hoodwink, humbug, misguide, mislead, snow, string along, take in, trick
   near: assure, reassure, satisfy, enlighten, inform

2. to make (something) unclear to the understanding

   "stop confusing the issue with irrelevant facts"

   similar: becloud, befog, blur, cloud, fog, muddy, obfuscate
   related: complicate, perplex, sophisticate, entangle, snarl, tangle, disarrange, disarray, discompose, dishevel, disorder, disrupt, disturb, jumble, mess (up), mix (up), muddle, scramble, shuffle, tousle, upset
   opposite: clarify, clear (up), illuminate
   near: simplify, streamline, disentangle, straighten (out), undo, unravel, unscramble, untangle, decipher, decode, analyze, break down

3. to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related

   "a lot of people confuse popular fame with enduring achievement"

   similar: conflate, confound, mistake, mix (up)
   related: lump (together), misapply, miscall, misidentify, misname
   opposite: difference, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, separate

4. to throw into a state of self-conscious distress

   "she was confused by the shocking bluntness of his marriage proposal"

   similar: abash, confound, discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, embarrass, faze, fluster, mortify, nonplus, rattle
   related: agitate, bother, chagrin, discomfort, discompose, dismay, disquiet, distress, disturb, perturb, put off, put out, unhinge, unsettle, upset, debase, degrade, demean, humble, humiliate, queer, shame
   near: calm, comfort, console, relieve, soothe, buoy, cheer, embolden, encourage, hearten, assure, reassure

5. to undo the proper order or arrangement of

   "vandals had hopelessly confused the papers in the office files"

   similar: derange, disarrange, disarray, discompose, dishevel, disjoint, dislocate, disorder, disorganize, disrupt, disturb, hash, jumble, mess (up), mix (up), muddle, muss, rumple, scramble, shuffle, tousle, tumble, upset
   related: embroil, entangle, snarl, tangle, agitate, perturb, stir (up), unsettle, clutter
   opposite: arrange, array, dispose, draw up, marshal, order, organize, range, regulate, straighten (up), tidy
   near: align, line, line up, queue, classify, codify, methodize, systematize, systemize, adjust, fix, groom, make up, spruce (up), unscramble