1
as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
the cans were lying in a confused jumble in the basement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bewildered
suffering from mental confusion
she was briefly confused after her fall from the horse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in puzzled
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
the similar-sounding words "censure" and "censor" often confuse people
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in complicated
to make (something) unclear to the understanding
stop confusing the issue with irrelevant facts
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mistook
to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related
a lot of people confuse popular fame with enduring achievement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in embarrassed
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress
she was confused by the shocking bluntness of his marriage proposal
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in disrupted
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
vandals had hopelessly confused the papers in the office files
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of confused
Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
But some providers may remain confused or hesitant to administer the shots because of lingering uncertainty and mixed messages, for instance, speculative safety risks presented during the CDC's advisory committee meeting that are not backed by solid evidence.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 6 Oct. 2025
Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2025
Not all of them will necessarily fall under the legislation, and any can challenge their inclusion, but the breadth of platforms Inman Grant was considering took some Australians aback and confused others.
—Belinda Luscombe, Time, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for confused
Adjective
Breeja had already smelled us in the hallway and started looking for us, clearly excited but a little confused.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
But some providers may remain confused or hesitant to administer the shots because of lingering uncertainty and mixed messages, for instance, speculative safety risks presented during the CDC's advisory committee meeting that are not backed by solid evidence.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
The latter story involved the Kansas City Chiefs tight end attending Swift’s June 2024 Eras show in London, where he was sat in the VIP box alongside actor Grant and his wife, Anna Eberstein, who Kelce apparently confused with Barbie director Greta Gerwig.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2025
Not all of them will necessarily fall under the legislation, and any can challenge their inclusion, but the breadth of platforms Inman Grant was considering took some Australians aback and confused others.
—Belinda Luscombe, Time, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for confused
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confused
Adjective
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The film had transformed from the messy, illogical version I’d first seen into a hilarious, shrewd, contemplative work of art.—
Susan Orlean,
New Yorker,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Integrating such a messy light source into a silicon photonics chip required careful engineering.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
As Friday’s stabbing incident involving NFL alum Mark Sanchez slowly comes into focus, the team at Fox Sports seems to be just as bewildered as the rest of us.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Hair disheveled, a dazed and bewildered look in his eyes, the coach trudged into his own dressing room to regroup and get a rundown of a growing list of injuries.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As my children both turned toward me, puzzled at my silence, the last three decades unfurled.—
Sofía Pereda,
USA Today,
13 Oct. 2025
-
How asteroids get their spin In recent decades, astronomers have been puzzled by why some asteroids rotate like spinning tops while others tumble through space in chaotic, unpredictable ways.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And here’s where things get complicated.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
11 Oct. 2025
-
As streaming slowly became the public’s preferred way of listening to records, the medium complicated the traditional definition of success.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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According to Fox 35, deputies mistook Vasquez for their suspect due to a one-letter difference in the spelling of their last names.—
Latoya Gayle,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
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The children were accidentally napalmed by South Vietnamese pilots who mistook a group of fleeing villagers for Viet Cong.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Revolution provided a brief scare through a 59th-minute goal from Dor Turgeman, who embarrassed a defender before curling home a spectacular effort, but Inter Miami broke the tie almost immediately after the strike that made the score 2-1.—
Franco Panizo,
Miami Herald,
5 Oct. 2025
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Me, a beautiful and clever five-time Emmy-winning writer with a few Wednesday nights free, and The Golden Bachelor, a heartwarming and adorable exploration of women’s second acts with a male doofus at the center who has already embarrassed himself.—
Ali Barthwell,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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These dolphins exhibited 536 altered genes, indicating disrupted GABAergic synapses, changes in the basement membrane, and increased Alzheimer's risk factors, which worsen with each bloom season.—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
14 Oct. 2025
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Air travel was snarled during the more than month-long government shutdown that ended in January 2019, hours after a shortfall of air traffic controllers disrupted flights in the New York area.—
Lillian Rizzo,Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In this chaotic world of busy schedules, stressful current events and personal responsibilities, growing distracted from your internal world is common.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
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Not because it was magicked away by her brain’s chaotic bonds, but because her husband, Charles (Christian Slater), abruptly returned and got the job done.—
Matthew Jacobs,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confused. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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