Skip to content
ontologydriven
Sign out

Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

confusion en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /kənˈfjuːʒən/
  • (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English confusioun, from Old French confusion, from Latin confusio, confusionem. Morphologically confuse + -ion.

Meanings

  1. (uncountable, usually) 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. 2025 February 1, Tami Luhby, Eric Bradner and Rene Marsh, “Federal employees confused, angered by Trump’s offer to quit”, in CNN:
  2. (uncountable, usually) 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. 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Prologue”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:
  3. (uncountable, usually) The act of mistaking one thing for another or conflating distinct things.
    • 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. 1908, “lay v.¹”, in James A. H. Murray et al., editors, A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), volume VI, Part 1, London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 128:
    • Confusion of sex and gender continues when she begins to address what the sex-change operation achieves. 1996, Frank William Lewins, Bioethics for Health Professionals, page 128:
  4. (uncountable, usually) Lack of understanding due to dementia.
  5. (archaic, uncountable, usually) 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 […] 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling:
    • "[…] In going to Mr Carlyle you have done the best thing possible; you have put your sister into the care of the shrewdest man in London." Whereat the object of this quite unexpected eulogy found himself becoming covered with modest confusion. 1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados:
  6. (collective, rare, uncountable, usually) A group of wildebeest.
    • When he reversed out of yet another cul-de-sac , with the eyes of a huge confusion of wildebeest glinting in. 2022, Issy Hogg, Covid Cancer Craic:
    • The runners are a confusion of wildebeest, fighting their way to the front. 2024, Arron Steep, Morning of the Ouromor: A Collection of Short Stories and Poems, Rein A. Peterson:
    • A group of wildebeest is called a confusion. 2019 June 6, “A gaggle, a confusion and a conspiracy - bizarre animal collective group names”, in BBC:
    • we came up over a rise and saw a dazzle of zebras and a confusion of wildebeest - by the thousands , not merely hundreds. 2025, Peter Moore, Game Changer: Playing to Win at Xbox, EA Sports and Liverpool FC, Liverpool University Press:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
confusions Number=Plur lexicographic

Antonyms

distinction (antonym(s) of “misunderstanding”) · clarity (antonym(s) of “lack of clarity or order”)

Deriveds

nipple confusion · reverse confusion · confusionism · compfusion · confusionist · confusional · cone of confusion · year of confusion · minim confusion · muscle confusion · disk of confusion · disc of confusion · deconfusion · circle of confusion

Relateds

commotion · confuse · disorder · confusing

Synonyms

befuddlement · muddle · disarray (state of being confused) · flabbergastation · bewilderment (state of being confused) · discombobulation (lack of clarity or order) · misunderstanding · flabbergast · flabbergastment · confusion · quagmire · mix-up · bemusement · bafflement · noncomputation

Translations (123)

ca confusió (lack of clarity or order) · te తడబాటు (lack of clarity or order) · km ល្បែ (lack of clarity or order) · ro confuzie (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · pt confusão (lack of clarity or order) · as খেলিমেলি (lack of clarity or order) · ko 혼동 (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · it disordine (lack of clarity or order) · sq huti (lack of clarity or order) · hy շփոթվածություն (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · el σάστισμα (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · ru неразбери́ха (lack of clarity or order) · fr confusion (lack of clarity or order) · ga cíor thuathail (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · lad dubarina (lack of clarity or order) · grc ταραχή (lack of clarity or order) · hu zavar (lack of clarity or order) · cmn 混亂 /混乱 (lack of clarity or order) · is ruglingur (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · ga suaitheadh (lack of clarity or order) · fi hämmennys (lack of clarity or order) · fi epäselvyys (lack of clarity or order) · mi kaumingomingo (lack of clarity or order) · it confusione (lack of clarity or order) · de Konfusion (lack of clarity or order) · da forvirring (lack of clarity or order) · bg объ́ркване (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · mi pōkaikaha (lack of clarity or order) · sk chaos (lack of clarity or order) · lad mareo (lack of clarity or order) · ml ആശയക്കുഴപ്പം (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · is brengl (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · ota قارش (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · ru замеша́тельство (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · nl war (lack of clarity or order) · qu musphay (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · acw خربطة (lack of clarity or order) · acw لخبطة (lack of clarity or order) · ja 混乱 (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · is brengl (lack of clarity or order) · ro confuzie (lack of clarity or order) · ja 混乱 (lack of clarity or order) · fr désordre (lack of clarity or order) · de Durcheinander (lack of clarity or order) · ko 혼란 (lack of clarity or order) · nb forveksling (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · ko 혼란 (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · pdt Wirwoa (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · de Verwirrung (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · ru недоразуме́ние (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · el μπέρδεμα (lack of clarity or order) · da forvirrelse (lack of clarity or order) · qu pantay (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · hu összevisszaság (lack of clarity or order) · ar اِلْتِبَاس (lack of clarity or order) · ar اِرْتِبَاك (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · mi pōnānātanga (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · txb traike (lack of clarity or order) · mi matangerengere (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · bg объ́ркване (lack of clarity or order) · eo konfuzo (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · fr confusion (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · pl nieporozumienie (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · sv förvirring (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · nl verwarring (lack of clarity or order) · de Verwechslung (lack of clarity or order) · he בִּלְבּוּל (lack of clarity or order) · sk nedorozumenie (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · la tumultus (lack of clarity or order) · it sbandamento (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · ca confusió (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · hy շփոթմունք (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · ota قارش (lack of clarity or order) · es confusión (lack of clarity or order) · pl zamieszanie (lack of clarity or order) · ru смяте́ние (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · bg бъркоти́я (lack of clarity or order) · kix tālâm (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · pt confusão (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · cmn 混淆 (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · ko 착란 (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · el σύγχυση (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · el παραζάλη (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · ota تشوش (lack of clarity or order) · mi raumaharatanga (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · fi hämmennys (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · pl chaos (lack of clarity or order) · sk zmätok (lack of clarity or order) · eo konfuzo (lack of clarity or order) · hy շփոթություն (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · fi sekaannus (lack of clarity or order) · az dolaşıqlıq (lack of clarity or order) · lad enredijo (lack of clarity or order) · hi गड़बड़ (lack of clarity or order) · ru пу́таница (lack of clarity or order) · tr teşevvüş (lack of clarity or order) · lad taburra (lack of clarity or order) · grc ταραχή (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · da forvirring (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · mi matangerengere (lack of clarity or order) · ta குழப்பம் (lack of clarity or order) · nn forveksling (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · ota شاشقینلق (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · hy շփոթ (lack of clarity or order) · sk zmätenosť (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · ja 混同 (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · it disorientamento (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · grc τύρβη (lack of clarity or order) · de Verwirrung (lack of clarity or order) · ush وار خطئ (lack of clarity or order) · fr malentendu (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · is ruglingur (lack of clarity or order) · de Missverständnis (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · hi भ्रम (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · ms kekeliruan (lack of clarity or order) · bg неяснота́ (state of being confused; misunderstanding) · el σύγχυση (lack of clarity or order) · cs zmatek (lack of clarity or order) · acw حوسة (lack of clarity or order) · ru беспоря́док (lack of clarity or order) · lad embroyo (lack of clarity or order) · as আউল (lack of clarity or order) · da forvirrelse (state of being confused; misunderstanding)