Meanings
verb
- participlepastsimple past and past participle of confuse
adjectiveconfused (comparative more confused, superlative most confused)
comparative more confused · superlative most confused
- unable to think clearly or understand
A new survey suggests that most Americans are confused about what counts as a healthy food choice.
2017 May 16, Jacqueline Howard, “‘Healthy’ foods have most of us confused, survey finds”, in CNNSynonyms: confounded, puzzled, perplexed, dazed, mixed-up
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveunable to think clearly or understand
adjectivechaotic, jumbled or muddled
Similar
Similar
addle-patedaddledaddlepatedat a lossat a loss for wordsat seaat sixes and sevensbaffledbefuddledbewilderedconfuzzleddazzleddiscombobulateddisconcerteddumbfoundedflabagastedflabbergastedflabbergasteredflummoxedflusteredflutteredjumbledlost for wordsminussedmisledmixed upmuddledmuzzymystifiednonplussednot with itout of itout to lunchpunch-drunkspaced outspeechlessstumpedstymiedthrownup a treeyblent
Narrower
often-confused
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveperplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
adjectivelacking orderly continuity
adjectivehaving lost your bearings; confused as to time or place or personal identity
Similar
adjectivethrown into a state of disarray or confusion
adjectivementally confused; unable to think with clarity or act intelligently
Opposite
Also see
abashedaddlebrainedaddledaddlepatedadriftafloatassortedat seabaffledbefoggedbefuddledbemusedbewilderedbrokencloudedconfoundedconfusedazeddazzleddifferentdisconnecteddisjointeddisordereddisorganiseddisorganizedflummoxedflusteredgarbledillogicalinchoateincoherentlostmazedmisguidedmixed-upmuddledmuzzynonplussedout of itscatteredsillyslaphappyspaced-outstumpedstunnedstupefiedstupidsundrytranceliketurbidunconnectedunorientedupsetwoollywoolly-headed
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincōnfūsus
- Middle English-ed
- Anglo-Normanconfus
- Middle Englishconfused“frustrated, ruined”
- Englishconfused
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.
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ταραχώδης, ταραχώδης
- ταραχώδης (tarakhṓdēs)unable to think clearly or understand
- ταραχώδης (tarakhṓdēs)disoriented
Arabic اِحْتَارَ, تَشَوَّش
- اِحْتَارَ (iḥtāra)unable to think clearly or understand
- تَشَوَّش (tašawwaš)disoriented
- اِرْتَبَكَ (irtabaka)chaotic, jumbled or muddled
- تَشَوَّش (tašawwaš)chaotic, jumbled or muddled
Basque nahasi
- nahasiunable to think clearly or understand
Bulgarian объркан, объркан
- объркан (obărkan)unable to think clearly or understand
- объркан (obărkan)disoriented
- разбъркан (razbărkan)chaotic, jumbled or muddled
- разстроен (razstroen)chaotic, jumbled or muddled
- объркан (obărkan)making no sense; illogical
- безсмислен (bezsmislen)making no sense; illogical
- смутен (smuten)embarrassed
Catalan confòs, desorientat
- confòsunable to think clearly or understand
- desorientatdisoriented
- confúschaotic, jumbled or muddled
- embolicatchaotic, jumbled or muddled
- envitricollatchaotic, jumbled or muddled
- embrollatchaotic, jumbled or muddled
- confúsmaking no sense; illogical
- incoherentmaking no sense; illogical
- sense soltamaking no sense; illogical
- avergonyitembarrassed
- avergonyidaembarrassed
Chinese Mandarin 困惑, 混乱
- 困惑 (kùnhuò)unable to think clearly or understand
- 混乱 (hùnluàn)chaotic, jumbled or muddled
Czech zmatený
- zmatenýchaotic, jumbled or muddled
Danish forvirret, forvirret
- forvirretunable to think clearly or understand
- forvirretchaotic, jumbled or muddled
Dutch verward, in de war
- verwardchaotic, jumbled or muddled
- in de warchaotic, jumbled or muddled
Esperanto konfuzita, konfuza
- konfuzitaunable to think clearly or understand
- konfuzachaotic, jumbled or muddled
Finnish hämmentynyt, sekava
- hämmentynytunable to think clearly or understand
- sekavaunable to think clearly or understand
- sekavachaotic, jumbled or muddled
- älytönmaking no sense; illogical
- hämmentynytembarrassed
French désorienté, perdu
- désorientéunable to think clearly or understand
- perduunable to think clearly or understand
- embrouilléunable to think clearly or understand
- désorientédisoriented
- embrouilléchaotic, jumbled or muddled
- incohérentmaking no sense; illogical
- embarrasséembarrassed
German verwirrt, durcheinander
- verwirrtunable to think clearly or understand
- durcheinanderunable to think clearly or understand
- konfusunable to think clearly or understand
- wirrunable to think clearly or understand
- desorientiertdisoriented
- verwirrtdisoriented
- wirrchaotic, jumbled or muddled
- verwirrtchaotic, jumbled or muddled
- zerstreutchaotic, jumbled or muddled
- wirrmaking no sense; illogical
- verwirrtmaking no sense; illogical
- unzusammenhängendmaking no sense; illogical
Greek μπερδεμένος, μπερδεμένος
- μπερδεμένος (berdeménos)unable to think clearly or understand
- μπερδεμένος (berdeménos)chaotic, jumbled or muddled
- συγκεχυμένος (sygkechyménos)chaotic, jumbled or muddled
- αμήχανος (amíchanos)embarrassed
Hebrew מבולבל
- מבולבל (mevulbal)chaotic, jumbled or muddled
Hindi भ्रमित
- भ्रमित (bhramit)unable to think clearly or understand
Hungarian zavart, zavarodott
- zavartunable to think clearly or understand
- zavarodottdisoriented
- zavartchaotic, jumbled or muddled
Icelandic ruglaður
- ruglaðurchaotic, jumbled or muddled
Italian confuso, confuso
- confusochaotic, jumbled or muddled
- confusomaking no sense; illogical
- confusoembarrassed
Latin inconditus, cōnfūsus
- inconditusunable to think clearly or understand
- cōnfūsuschaotic, jumbled or muddled
- turbiduschaotic, jumbled or muddled
Malay keliru
- keliruunable to think clearly or understand
Māori rarerare, kutekute
- rareraredisoriented
- kutekutedisoriented
- pōrangirangidisoriented
- pōraru (raru)disoriented
- whakapikichaotic, jumbled or muddled
Norwegian Bokmål forvirret, forfjamset
- forvirretchaotic, jumbled or muddled
- forfjamsetchaotic, jumbled or muddled
Persian مشنگ
- مشنگ (mašang)unable to think clearly or understand
Polish zdezorientowany, zakłopotany
- zdezorientowanydisoriented
- zakłopotanychaotic, jumbled or muddled
- zmieszanychaotic, jumbled or muddled
Portuguese confuso, confuso
- confusounable to think clearly or understand
- confusochaotic, jumbled or muddled
- confundidochaotic, jumbled or muddled
Romanian confuz, haotic
- confuzchaotic, jumbled or muddled
- haoticchaotic, jumbled or muddled
- confuzmaking no sense; illogical
- încurcatembarrassed
- confuzembarrassed
Russian спу́танный, беспоря́дочный
- спу́танный (spútannyj)chaotic, jumbled or muddled
- беспоря́дочный (besporjádočnyj)chaotic, jumbled or muddled
- бессмы́сленный (bessmýslennyj)making no sense; illogical
- сконфу́женный (skonfúžennyj)embarrassed
- смущённый (smuščónnyj)embarrassed
Scottish Gaelic tuathal, tro-chèile
- tuathalunable to think clearly or understand
- tro-chèileunable to think clearly or understand
- tro-chèilechaotic, jumbled or muddled
- tro-chèilemaking no sense; illogical
- tro-chèileembarrassed
Spanish confundido, confundido
- confundidounable to think clearly or understand
- confundidodisoriented
- confusochaotic, jumbled or muddled
- confusomaking no sense; illogical
Swedish förvirrad, virrig
- förvirradunable to think clearly or understand
- virrigunable to think clearly or understand
- förvirraddisoriented
- virrigdisoriented
- rörigchaotic, jumbled or muddled
- oordnadchaotic, jumbled or muddled
- rörigmaking no sense; illogical
Tagalog nalilito, hira
- nalilitounable to think clearly or understand
- hiraunable to think clearly or understand
Thai สับสน, มึนงง
- สับสน (sàp-sǒn)unable to think clearly or understand
- มึนงงdisoriented
Turkish şaşkın, şaşırmış
- şaşkınunable to think clearly or understand
- şaşırmışunable to think clearly or understand
Ukrainian приголо́мшений, ошеле́шений
- приголо́мшений (pryholómšenyj)unable to think clearly or understand
- ошеле́шений (ošeléšenyj)unable to think clearly or understand
Yiddish צעמישט
- צעמישט (tsemisht)unable to think clearly or understand
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with confused
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
confused. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/confused
MLA
“confused.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/confused. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “confused,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/confused.
Source: confused on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.