confuse

verb

kən-ˈfyüz How to pronounce confuse (audio)
Definition of confusenext
1
as in to bewilder
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 to complicate
to make (something) unclear to the understanding stop confusing the issue with irrelevant facts

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to mistake
to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related a lot of people confuse popular fame with enduring achievement

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4
as in to embarrass
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress she was confused by the shocking bluntness of his marriage proposal

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5
as in to disrupt
to undo the proper order or arrangement of vandals had hopelessly confused the papers in the office files

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of confuse Jazz, for those who missed it, was confused as to why Yankees fans booed the hell out of him after grounding out in the bottom of the ninth. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026 Josh Silverman is not to be confused with Jeff Silberman, Gordon’s chief of staff and executive vice president of corporate strategy. — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026 The crowd even includes Sam, who has a fun moment catching up with Roy and confusing him with an observation that sounds like it was inspired by The Wizard of Oz. — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2026 Apples and oranges But some note that investors may be confusing activity numbers that aren't exactly comparable. — Ananya Chetia,davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for confuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confuse
  1. bewilder
  2. complicate
  3. mistake
  4. embarrass
  5. disrupt
  6. perplex
  7. blur
  8. fluster
Verb
  • Latif is conflicted by his double life, bewildered by his doubling of parental responsibilities, constantly trying to think two moves ahead yet always ending up three steps behind.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Dan emerges as Primetime’s unlikely heart, bewildered by the dark world he’s wandered into and left to negotiate his ambitions with the high stakes of the job.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of bewilder
Verb
  • But Kazan has a different notion of this character, one that the director explores and complicates through extended flashbacks to Cathy’s childhood.
    — Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2026
  • There are all sorts of sides to Venus, a lot of shady characters complicating things, and in pure Bogie-Bacall fashion Ray gets to sort them all out while dealing with this colorful group.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of complicate
Verb
  • Jensen Huang has argued that the doomsayers mistook the task of reading scans for the whole job.
    — Han Wang, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The Houthis appear to have mistaken Saudi restraint for an inability to act.
    — Faisal J. Abbas, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of mistake
Verb
  • But the Yanks are hot after embarrassing Boston with 9-0 and 9-2 victories in the Wild Card round.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Philadelphia embarrassed itself in a non-competitive loss at Chicago on Monday night, unable to go drive-for-drive with journeyman quarterback Case Keenum, a 38-year-old backup’s backup.
    — Andy Behrens, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of embarrass
Verb
  • Gone are the four nations, corresponding to the elements, who coexisted in harmony that was disrupted and then, episode by episode, restored.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The measure drew support from numerous Cornell students and Ithaca residents, although some graduate students raised concerns that the restrictions were overly broad and could disrupt activities unrelated to Greek life.
    — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of disrupt
Verb
  • California‘s seven Supreme Court justices appeared by turns perplexed by and incredulous of those theories during oral arguments last month.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
  • They were perplexed at first, flummoxed, but pleasant, and unfortunately for them, already long gone from the airport.
    — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of perplex
Verb
  • But even with 22 tracks to work with, the sound too often defaults to a similar muted backdrop, which blurs some of the less distinct songs together.
    — Molly Mary O’Brien, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The move into podcasting marks another expansion for MasterClass, which has increasingly blurred the lines between online education and entertainment.
    — Anna Tingley, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of blur
Verb
  • Milwaukee tends to fluster opponents by dictating the action in a way no other offense does.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Chicago rallied from a 2-0 hole after being flustered by Marlins starter Janson Junk, who threw five scoreless innings.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of fluster

Browse Nearby Words

confronts
confuse
confused
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Cite this Entry

“Confuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confuse. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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