confusion

UK /kənˈfjuːʒən/ US /kənˈfjuːʒən/

noun 5

Definitions

noun

A lack of clarity or order.

But much of the federal workforce is located outside the nation’s capital, and Trump’s offer was met with confusion and skepticism in many of those offices.

The state of being confused; misunderstanding.

Forgive these wild and wandering cries, ⁠Confusions of a wasted youth; ⁠Forgive them where they fail in truth, And in thy wisdom make me wise.

The act of mistaking one thing for another or conflating distinct things.

The confusion of sexual orientation and gender identity leads to discrimination and stereotyping.

Now (exc. in Nautical language, see b) it is only dialectal or an illiterate substitute for lie, its identity of form with the past tense of the latter no doubt accounting largely for the confusion.

Lack of understanding due to dementia.

A state of shame or embarrassment.

Lady Bellaston fixed her eyes on Sophia whilst she spoke these words. To which that poor young lady, having her face overspread with blushes and confusion, answered, in a stammering voice […]

Collocations

(noun.)

ADJ

complete, total, utter

considerable, great

slight

general, widespread

administrative

mental

VERB + CONFUSION

cause, create, lead to, result in

add to

The unclear instructions from management only added to the confusion among the team members.

clear up

plunge sb/sth into, throw sb/sth into

When the restaurant's main chef suddenly left, it plunged the kitchen into complete confusion.

CONFUSION + VERB

arise, reign

Confusion arose at the airport when the flight announcement system malfunctioned during rush hour.

surround sth

There is still confusion surrounding which documents you need to bring to your appointment.

PREP

in (the) ~

When the fire alarm went off, everyone rushed toward the exits in complete confusion.

~ about/over

Many students felt confusion over the new exam schedule announced last week.

~ among

There was some confusion among the passengers about which platform the train would depart from.

~ as to

There was some confusion as to whether the meeting was scheduled for Tuesday or Wednesday.

~ between

My younger brother often makes a confusion between the words "their" and "there" when he writes.

~ with

People often mix up the two sisters because there is confusion with their names.

PHRASES

a scene/state of confusion, to avoid confusion

After the fire alarm went off, the office descended into a scene of complete confusion.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — a mistake that results from taking one thing to be another

mix-up

noun — a mental state characterized by a lack of clear and orderly

confusedness
muddiness
disarray

noun — a feeling of embarrassment that leaves you confused

discombobulation

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

Example Bank

But much of the federal workforce is located outside the nation’s capital, and Trump’s offer was met with confusion and skepticism in many of those offices.

Wiktionary

Forgive these wild and wandering cries, ⁠Confusions of a wasted youth; ⁠Forgive them where they fail in truth, And in thy wisdom make me wise.

Wiktionary

The confusion of sexual orientation and gender identity leads to discrimination and stereotyping.

Wiktionary

Only after a century and a half of confusion was the royal authority restored.

Tatoeba · #27596

His confusion betrayed his lie.

Tatoeba · #29453

It was a terrible confusion; Sue slipped later in the water. They're all mad at you.

Tatoeba · #34701

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, confusion is marked as archaic. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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