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Glite Dictionary
🤔 To make unclear 🔄 To mistake 🔀 To mix up 😳 To embarrass
to confuse

to confuse

38 1.9
Mix things up so their order is not clear
  • verb
  • /kənˈfjuz/
translation icon : confundir
  • When the teacher gave instructions in a jumbled manner, it only served to confuse the students further.

It's a three-week rotation, not to confuse things.

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Examples

  • I knew I was going to confuse myself because I went out of order.

  • Oh, I keep confusing two things.

  • Would it help to confuse it if we run away more?

    Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

  • So then you get it confused with connection.

  • Also, after reading three books by Turner, we are still confused by his use of similar terms.

    Academic text (2002)

  • "Furthermore, let me remind you of your promise not to confuse our professional and private lives.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • So we often confuse organizing with decluttering.

  • We have confused Maslow's hierarchy of needs just a little bit.

  • Don't confuse the issue!

    Salvation Boulevard (2011)

  • It confuses the situation.

    The Smashing Machine (2025)

Synonyms

to scramble
vsto confuse
85 2.6

Mix eggs quickly while cooking until they become soft and fluffy

is the calmer idea of making order unclear without strong physical action
to mix up
vsto confuse
  • Informal
65 2.7

To make people confused and things messy

is broader meaning make elements lose clear sequence rather than one specific error
to muddle
vsto confuse
33 4.8

Mix things up so they are unclear

is a general act of mixing that removes sensible order
to tangle
vsto confuse
28 4.7

To make a story or idea hard to understand

is focused on breaking clear order rather than physical knotting or tangles
to jumble
vsto confuse
22 3.8

Mix things together in a confused way

is about losing clear order by combining elements without sense
to confound
vsto confuse
12 7.3

Mistake one thing or person for another

is broader, meaning disturb element order so sense is lost rather than a mistake
to disorder
vsto confuse
7 5.5

To make something untidy or not in its usual order

is more about removing clear order and logical arrangement of elements
to disorganize
vsto confuse
  • US
4 4.5

To make something lose its order or structure

is focused on mixing items so sequence becomes unclear rather than system failure
to disarrange
vsto confuse
1 6.4

To make something messy or not in the right order

is about disturbing order to the point that logical sequence is lost
to disarray
vsto confuse
1 5.6

To make things untidy or cause confusion

is mainly about removing clear order and logical arrangement
to muddy up
vsto confuse
  • Informal
6.7

To make an idea or situation unclear and confusing

is the wider act of removing order and clear sense rather than only blurring details

Antonyms

to organize
  • US
662 1.6

Arrange people, things, and activities so they work well

to arrange
162 1.7

To put things or information in a clear, neat order

How Disordered

to scramble
85 2.6
to confuse
38 1.9
to jumble
22 3.8
to mix up
  • Informal
65 2.7

Surface Forms

confuse infinitive
confused past
confused past participle
confusing present participle
confuses third person singular

Etymology

Confuse has the root con- ('together') plus fundere ('to pour'), so it originally meant 'mix' or 'blend'. That is why to confuse objects or papers is to mix them up and lose their order.