confuse

con·fuse  (kn-fyz)

v. con·fused, con·fus·ing, con·fus·es

v.tr.

1.

a. To cause to be unable to think with clarity or act with intelligence or understanding; throw off.

b. To cause to feel embarrassment.

2.

a. To mistake (for another): confused effusiveness with affection.

b. To make opaque; blur: "The old labels ... confuse debate instead of clarifying it" (Christopher Lasch).

c. To assemble without order or sense; jumble.

3. Archaic To bring to ruination.

v.intr.

To make something unclear or incomprehensible: a new tax code that only further confuses.

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[Middle English confusen, from Old French confus, perplexed, from Latin cnfsus, past participle of cnfundere, to mix together; see confound.]

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con·fusa·ble adj.

con·fusing·ly adv.

Synonyms: confuse, addle, befuddle, discombobulate, fuddle, muddle, throw
These verbs mean to cause to be unclear in mind or intent: heavy traffic that confused the driver; problems that addle my brain; a question that befuddled even the professor; was discombobulated by all of the possibilities; a complex plot line that fuddled my comprehension; a student who was muddled by endless facts and figures; behavior that really threw me.

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confuse [kənˈfjuːz]

vb (tr)

1. to bewilder; perplex

2. to mix up (things, ideas, etc.); jumble

3. to make unclear he confused his talk with irrelevant details

4. to fail to recognize the difference between; mistake (one thing) for another

5. to disconcert; embarrass

6. to cause to become disordered the enemy ranks were confused by gas

[back formation from confused, from Latin confūsus mingled together, from confundere to pour together; see confound]

confusable  adj

confusability  n

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confuse - Originally meant "rout" or "bring to ruin."

See also related terms for ruin.

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	confuse - mistake one thing for another; "you are confusing me with the other candidate"; "I mistook her for the secretary" confound misidentify, mistake - identify incorrectly; "Don't mistake her for her twin sister" obnubilate, obscure, blur, confuse - make unclear, indistinct, or blurred; "Her remarks confused the debate"; "Their words obnubilate their intentions" mix up, jumble, confuse - assemble without order or sense; "She jumbles the words when she is supposed to write a sentence"
	2.	confuse - be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly; "These questions confuse even the experts"; "This question completely threw me"; "This question befuddled even the teacher" befuddle, confound, discombobulate, fox, bedevil, fuddle, throw demoralize - confuse or put into disorder; "the boss's behavior demoralized everyone in the office" bewilder, dumbfound, flummox, baffle, mystify, nonplus, perplex, puzzle, stupefy, amaze, gravel, vex, pose, stick, beat, get - be a mystery or bewildering to; "This beats me!"; "Got me--I don't know the answer!"; "a vexing problem"; "This question really stuck me" disconcert, flurry, confuse, put off - cause to feel embarrassment; "The constant attention of the young man confused her" disorient, disorientate - cause to be lost or disoriented be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer"
	3.	confuse - cause to feel embarrassment; "The constant attention of the young man confused her" disconcert, flurry, put off befuddle, confound, confuse, discombobulate, fox, bedevil, fuddle, throw - be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly; "These questions confuse even the experts"; "This question completely threw me"; "This question befuddled even the teacher" fluster - cause to be nervous or upset bother - make confused or perplexed or puzzled distract, deflect - draw someone's attention away from something; "The thief distracted the bystanders"; "He deflected his competitors" abash, embarrass - cause to be embarrassed; cause to feel self-conscious
	4.	confuse - assemble without order or sense; "She jumbles the words when she is supposed to write a sentence" mix up, jumble confuse, confound - mistake one thing for another; "you are confusing me with the other candidate"; "I mistook her for the secretary" addle, muddle, puddle - mix up or confuse; "He muddled the issues" assemble, put together, tack together, set up, piece, tack - create by putting components or members together; "She pieced a quilt"; "He tacked together some verses"; "They set up a committee"
	5.	confuse - make unclear, indistinct, or blurred; "Her remarks confused the debate"; "Their words obnubilate their intentions" obnubilate, obscure, blur alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" confuse, confound - mistake one thing for another; "you are confusing me with the other candidate"; "I mistook her for the secretary" muddy - cause to become muddy; "These data would have muddied the prediction"

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confuse

verb

1. mix up with, take for, mistake for, muddle with I can't see how anyone could confuse you two with each other.

2. bewilder, puzzle, baffle, perplex, mystify, fluster, faze, flummox, bemuse, be all Greek to (informal), nonplus Politics just confuses me.

3. obscure, cloud, complicate, muddle, darken, make more difficult, muddy the waters His critics accused him of trying to confuse the issue.

Translations

confuse [kənˈfjuːz] VT

1. (= perplex) → confundir, desconcertar
you're just confusing me → no haces más que confundirme, lo único que haces es confundirme más

2. (= mix up) → confundir
to confuse the issue → complicar el asunto
to confuse A and B → confundir A con B

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confuse [kənˈfjuːz] vt

(= perplex) [+ person] → embrouiller les idées de
Don't confuse me! → Ne m'embrouille pas les idées!

(= complicate) [+ issue] → embrouiller

[+ one thing with another] → confondre
You must be confusing me with someone else → Vous devez me confondre avec quelqu'un d'autre.

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confuse

vt

(= bewilder, muddle) people → konfus machen, verwirren, durcheinanderbringen; (= make unclear) situation → verworren machen; am I confusing you? → bringe ich Sie durcheinander?, verwirrt Sie das?; don’t confuse the issue! → bring (jetzt) nicht alles durcheinander!

(= mix up) people → verwechseln; matters, issues also → durcheinanderbringen; to confuse two problems → zwei Probleme durcheinanderbringen or miteinander verwechseln

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confuse [kənˈfjuːz] vt → confondere

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confuse

v confuse [kənˈfjuːz]

1 to put in disorder He confused the arrangements by arriving late. verwar, deurmekaar maak, beduiwel يُرْبِك، يُبَلْبِل، يُشَوِّش причинявам безпорядък narušit, zamotat forvirre in Unordnung bringen αναστατώνω confundir, complicar, enredar segi ajama به هم زدن؛ نامرتب کردن sekoittaa bouleverser לְעַרבֵב घबरा जाना pomiješati, pobrkati összezavar merusak koma ólagi á, rugla scompigliare 混乱させる 혼란 시키다 sumaišyti, suardyti sajaukt mengelirukan verwarren forvirre, bringe i ulage pomieszać atrapalhar a încurca вносить неразбериху narušiť zmešati pobrkati trassla till ผสมปนเปกัน karıştırmak 打亂，弄亂 збити; зірвати درهم برهم كرنا làm lộn xộn 使混乱

2 to mix up in one's mind I always confuse John and his twin brother. verwar يَخْلُط ما بَيْنَ вземам някого/нещо за друг/о (s)plést (si) forveksle verwechseln μπερδεύω, συγχέω confundir segi ajama اشتباه کردن؛ عوضی گرفتن sekoittaa confondre לְבַלבֵּל विभ्रमित होना smutiti, zamrsiti összetéveszt mengacaukan rugla (saman) confondere 混同する 혼돈케 하다 painioti sajaukt; samainīt keliru verwarren blande sammen, forveksle mylić confundir a confunda путать pliesť si pomešati pomešati förväxla สับสน karıştırmak 混淆 змішувати, сплутувати گ‍ڈ م‍ڈ کرنا nhầm lẫn 混淆

3 to make puzzled He completely confused me by his questions. deurmekaar maak يُرْبِك، يُحَيِّر обърквам zmást forvirre verwirren μπερδεύω, σαστίζω κπ. desorientar, confundir, desconcertar segadusse ajama گیج کردن hämmentää embrouiller לְבַלבֵּל उलझ जाना smesti, zbuniti összezavar membingungkan rugla; koma úr jafnvægi confondere まごつかせる 당황하게 하다 sutrikdyti, išmušti iš vėžių apmulsināt mengelirukan verwarren bringe i forvirring, forvirre, forfjamse skonfundować embaralhar a zăpăci приводить в замешательство zmiasť zbegati zbuniti förvirra ทำให้สับสน şaşırtmak 把...弄糊塗 збивати, спантеличувати خلط ملط كرنا làm ai lúng túng 把...弄糊涂

adj conˈfused

1 mixed up The message I received was rather confused. deurmekaar, verward مُلْتَبِس объркан zmatený forvirrende verworren συγκεχυμένος confundido, desconcertado, confuso segane در هم بر هم؛ نامرتب sekava confus מְבוּלבַּל उलझा हुआ zbrkan, pobrkan zavaros kacau ruglingslegur, óskipulegur confuso 混乱した 식별할 수 없는 painus, miglotas neskaidrs; sajaukts keliru verward forvirret, forvirrende, rotet pogmatwany confuso confuz запутанный zmätený nejasen konfuzan rörig, oredig ที่ปนเป anlaşılmaz 混淆的 заплутаний خلط ملط lộn xộn 混乱的

2 mixed up in the mind in a confused state of mind. deurmekaar, verward مُرْتَبِك разстроен zmatený forvirret verwirrt σαστισμένος confuso segaduses سر درگم؛ گیج sekava troublé מְבוּלבַּל उलझा हुआ smeten, smušen összezavart bingung ruglaður, ringlaður confuso まごついた 혼돈된 pasimetęs, sutrikęs apmulsis berkecamuk verward forvirret, forfjamset skonfundowany confuso tulburat поставленный в тупик zmätený zmeden zbunjen förvirrad ที่สับสน şaşırmış, aklı karışmış 被弄糊塗的 сплутаний گ‍ڈ م‍ڈ lúng túng 弄糊涂的

adv conˈfusedly [-zidli]

deurmekaar, verward بصورة مرتبكه объркано zmateně forvirret verwirrt σε σύγχυση, συγκεχυμένα con confusión segaselt بطور در هم و برهم؛ با گیجی sekavasti confusément בִּמבוּכָה चकराये हुए ढंग से smeten, smušen zavarosan bingung ruglingslega confusamente 混乱して 혼란하여 padrikai, painiai neskaidri; sajaukti; apmulsumā dengan keliru verward forvirret, forvirrende; rotet w nieładzie, z zakłopotaniem confusamente confuz в замешательстве zmätene zmedeno zbunjeno förvirrat อย่างสับสน şaşkın bir şekilde 混淆不清地 заплутано; сплутано پريشان، گ‍ھبرايا هوا bối rối 混乱地

n conˈfusion [-ʒən]

wanorde, warboel, verwarring, deurmekaarspul, deurmekaarheid, roesemoes إضْطِراب، بَلْبَلَه бъркотия zmatek forvirring die Verwirrung σύγχυση confusión segadus گیجی؛ نابسامانی epäjärjestys, hämmennys confusion בִּלבּוּל उलझन smetnja, pometnja, zbrka összezavarás kekacauan ruglingur confusione 混乱 혼란 sutrikimas, painiava neskaidrība; juceklis; apmulsums kekeliruan verwarring forvirring, røre, rot zamieszanie, gmatwanina confusão confuzie замешательство zmätok zmeda konfuzija förvirring, oreda ความสับสน karışıklık, şaşkınlık 混亂(狀態)，混淆，困惑 замішання; плутанина گ‍ڑ ب‍ڑ، ابترى sự lộn xộn 混乱

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confuse → يُربِك poplést forvirre verwechseln συγχέω confundir sekoittaa embrouiller pobrkati confondere 困惑させる 혼동하다 verwarren forvirre zmylić confundir путать förvirra สับสน karıştırmak nhầm lẫn 搞乱