con·fuse
(kən-fyōōź)
[Middle English confusen, from Old French confus, perplexed, from Latin cōnfūsus past participle of cōnfundere, to mix together; see confound.]
verb: -fused, -fus·ing, -fus·es.
transitive verb
- To cause to be unable to think with clarity or act with intelligence or understanding; throw off.
- To cause to feel embarrassment.
- To mistake (for another): confused effusiveness with affection.
- To make opaque; blur: “The old labels … confuse debate instead of clarifying it” (Christopher Lasch)
- To assemble without order or sense; jumble.
- Archaic To bring to ruination.
intransitive verb
- To make something unclear or incomprehensible: a new tax code that only further confuses.
derivatives
- con·fuśa·ble
- adjective
- con·fuśing·ly
- adverb
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.
