INDEX:
1. confused
2. confused because something is difficult to understand
3. something that makes you feel confused
4. to make someone feel confused
5. to think one person or thing is another person or thing
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ UNDERSTAND/NOT UNDERSTAND
↑ ORGANIZE
↑ SURE/NOT SURE
↑ CLEAR/NOT CLEAR
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1. confused
▷ confused /kənˈfjuːzd/ [adjective]
not able to understand what is happening, what someone is saying etc, especially when this makes you feel worried :
▪ I’m a little confused - could you explain it again?
▪ She felt hurt and confused when her husband left her.
confused about
▪ We’re a little confused about what we’re supposed to be doing.
get confused
▪ Every time someone tries to explain the Internet to me, I get even more confused.
▷ confusion /kənˈfjuːʒ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
the feeling you have when you are confused, or a situation in which people are confused :
▪ The new rules have caused a lot of confusion.
confusion about/over
▪ There is still confusion over who is responsible for the accident.
throw somebody/something into confusion
make them feel confused
▪ The final scene of the play threw much of the audience into confusion.
▷ be in a muddle /biː ɪn ə ˈmʌdl/ [verb phrase] British informal
confused, especially because you are trying to do something complicated or because you have a lot of things to do :
▪ I wonder if you could help Emma sort out the papers -- she’s in a bit of a muddle.
be in a muddle about
▪ There were four phone calls at once and the secretary was in a muddle about who wanted to talk to who.
get into a muddle
▪ It’s best to paint the background first and then the pattern. That way you don’t get into a muddle.
▷ bewildered /bɪˈwɪldəʳd/ [adjective]
very confused and surprised when something unusual and unexpected happens to you :
▪ He was bewildered to find three policemen at the front door.
▪ Police took a burglary report from a bewildered resident.
bewildered by/at
▪ At first she was bewildered by all the noise and activity of the city.
▷ bemused /bɪˈmjuːzd/ [adjective]
confused, surprised, and slightly annoyed by what has happened, or by what someone has said :
▪ She told him to leave, but he just sat there with a bemused expression on his face.
bemused by
▪ Shop-owners and residents alike seem bemused by the recent arrival of so many tourists.
▷ mixed-up /ˌmɪkst ˈʌp◂/ [adjective] informal
confused, especially over a long period of time, and unable to decide what to do, especially because of personal or emotional problems :
▪ Carol wrote poems about her feelings to try and figure out why she felt so mixed-up.
▪ With parents like that, it’s no wonder he’s a mixed-up kid.
2. confused because something is difficult to understand
▷ puzzled /ˈpʌz ə ld/ [adjective]
completely unable to understand why or how something happened, especially because it is very different from what you expect :
▪ I’m a little puzzled - why did you call her yourself when I specifically told you I would do it?
▪ After my explanation, Mandy still had a puzzled expression on her face.
puzzled by/at
▪ The doctor was puzzled by the man’s symptoms and ordered several further tests.
▷ baffled /ˈbæf ə ld/ [adjective]
very confused and unable to understand something, even though you have tried hard for a long time :
▪ ‘I still can’t figure this out,’ said Dane, baffled.
baffled by/at
▪ At times the old man seemed baffled by his surroundings.
baffled as to/about
▪ Detectives admit they are baffled about the killer’s motive.
▷ perplexed /pəʳˈplekst/ [adjective] formal
confused and worried by an event or situation that you do not understand :
▪ Mr Rice was staring at the report with a perplexed expression on his face.
▪ The sudden ups and downs of the stock market have left analysts perplexed.
perplexed by
▪ Julie, perplexed by her boyfriend’s sudden outburst, kept out of his way.
▷ mystified /ˈmɪstɪfaɪd, ˈmɪstəfaɪd/ [adjective]
if someone is mystified by something, they are completely unable to understand it, and they are often very surprised by it :
▪ ‘How could you possibly have known that?’ he asked, totally mystified.
mystified by
▪ Army officials are mystified by the illnesses that have struck veterans of the Gulf War.
3. something that makes you feel confused
▷ confusing /kənˈfjuːzɪŋ/ [adjective]
confusing instructions, explanations, situations etc make you feel confused, because it is not clear what they mean or what you should do :
▪ The road signs were very confusing and we ended up getting lost.
▪ I found some of the questions really confusing.
confusing for
▪ The procedure can be a little confusing for beginners.
▷ puzzling /ˈpʌz ə lɪŋ/ [adjective]
a puzzling action or situation is very confusing, especially because it is strange or new, or because a lot of different things are happening at the same time :
▪ Jan’s decision not to take part in the race was very puzzling.
▪ Don’t you think it’s puzzling that no-one noticed them leave?
puzzling to
▪ Some of the results of the experiments were puzzling to researchers.
▷ baffling /ˈbæflɪŋ/ [adjective]
extremely difficult or impossible to understand, and therefore making you feel extremely confused :
▪ I found his sudden refusal to come to the wedding completely baffling.
▪ New evidence has provided a clue to one of the most baffling crimes the police have had to deal with.
▷ bewildering /bɪˈwɪld ə rɪŋ/ [adjective]
a bewildering situation is very confusing, especially because it is strange or new, or because of lot of different things are happening at the same time :
▪ Changes in society are happening so fast, they sometimes seem bewildering.
a bewildering number/variety/range etc
so many things that is difficult for you to choose
▪ There was a bewildering variety of styles to choose from.
4. to make someone feel confused
▷ confuse /kənˈfjuːz/ [transitive verb]
▪ His sudden change in mood completely confused her.
▪ Don’t show him the other way of doing it - it’ll only confuse him.
▷ puzzle /ˈpʌz ə l/ [transitive verb]
if something puzzles you, you are completely unable to understand it, or why it has happened :
▪ Her unwillingness to answer any of his questions puzzled him.
what puzzles me is
▪ What puzzles me is why she doesn’t just leave him.
▷ baffle /ˈbæf ə l/ [transitive verb]
if something baffles you, you cannot understand it at all, even though you try very hard to :
▪ The exact nature of black holes continues to baffle scientists.
▪ The fact that none of the neighbors ever reported the abuse has baffled authorities.
▷ throw /θrəʊ/ [transitive verb]
if something throws you, it makes you suddenly feel confused because it is unexpected and surprising :
▪ I could answer most of the questions but the last one really threw me.
throw somebody for a loop
American informal completely confuse someone
▪ Rick was Kitty’s boyfriend, you know, and his death threw her for a loop.
▷ do your head in /ˌduː jɔːʳ ˈhed ɪn/ [verb phrase] British spoken
if someone or something is doing your head in, they are making you feel very confused and often very annoyed or worried :
▪ He’s so fussy about how he wants things done, it really does my head in.
▪ I’ve got to do an essay on Kant and it’s doing my head in.
5. to think one person or thing is another person or thing
▷ confuse /kənˈfjuːz/ [transitive verb]
to wrongly think that one person or thing is another person or thing :
▪ Try not to confuse ‘your’ and ‘you’re’.
confuse somebody/something with somebody/something
▪ I always confuse Anthea with her sister - they’re so alike.
get somebody/something confused
▪ You don’t write a résumé to get a job; you write it to get an interview - don’t get the two things confused.
▷ mix up /ˌmɪks ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to make a mistake and think that one person or thing is another person or thing :
mix up somebody/something
▪ Children often mix up ‘b’ and ‘d’ when they’re learning to write.
mix somebody/something up with somebody/something
▪ Is Stan the guy you work with or am I mixing him up with somebody else?
get somebody/something mixed up
▪ Which one’s Jane and which one’s Jen? I always get their names mixed up.