con ‧ fu ‧ sion S3 W3 /kənˈfjuːʒ ə n/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: adverb : ↑ confusedly , ↑ confusingly ; adjective : ↑ confused , ↑ confusing ; verb : ↑ confuse ; noun : ↑ confusion ]
1 . [uncountable and countable] when you do not understand what is happening or what something means because it is not clear
confusion about/over/as to
There was some confusion as to whether we had won or lost.
create/lead to confusion
The diversion led to considerable confusion.
2 . [uncountable and countable] a situation in which someone wrongly thinks that a person or thing is someone or something else:
To avoid confusion, the teams wore different colours.
confusion between
There is a confusion in the public mind between psychology and psychiatry.
3 . [uncountable] a feeling of not being able to think clearly about what you should say or do, especially in an embarrassing situation:
His confusion at meeting her there was quite apparent.
in confusion
Matt stared at her in confusion.
4 . [uncountable and countable] a very confusing situation, that usually has a lot of noise and action, so that it is difficult for someone to understand it or control it SYN chaos :
a scene of indescribable confusion
confusion of
There was a confusion of shouts and orders as the ship prepared to depart.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ cause/create confusion
English spelling often causes confusion for learners.
▪ lead to/result in confusion
The differing instructions led to confusion.
▪ add to the confusion (=make something more confusing)
There were a lot of rumours, which added to the confusion.
▪ throw/plunge somebody into confusion
The unexpected news threw us all into confusion.
▪ clear up the confusion (=explain something more clearly)
The chairman said that he would try to clear up the confusion.
▪ confusion arises (=begins)
The confusion arose because of a complete misunderstanding.
■ adjectives
▪ great confusion
We looked at each other in great confusion.
▪ complete/total/utter confusion
Candy's eyes showed her total confusion.
▪ considerable confusion
The movie jumps backwards and forwards in time, which causes considerable confusion.
▪ general confusion
There was general confusion about the effects of the new law.
▪ mental confusion
Mental confusion is one of the symptoms of the disease.
■ phrases
▪ a state of confusion
People were in a state of confusion and close to panic.
▪ (in order) to avoid confusion
Doctors should explain their instructions to patients carefully, to avoid any confusion.