confused
- 01 B1 Intermediate
unable to think clearly or understand what is happening.
characterised by a lack of clear understanding or a state of mental uncertainty.
Simple“I was totally confused by the new bus timetable and missed my stop.”
In context“The students looked visibly confused when the professor began discussing advanced calculus without reviewing the foundational concepts first.”
PitfallThe instructions were very confused. The instructions were very confusing.Use 'confused' for the person who feels the emotion and 'confusing' for the thing that causes the feeling.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
not clear or organized; messy and difficult to follow.
lacking order, clarity, or a logical sequence; jumbled or muddled in presentation.
Simple“The witness gave a confused account of the accident, changing her story twice.”
In context“The report presented a confused set of data that made it nearly impossible for the board to reach a definitive conclusion.”
Synonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
feeling lost or not knowing where you are.
suffering from a lack of physical or situational orientation.
Simple“The old man was found wandering the streets, looking tired and confused.”
In context“After the minor head injury, the patient appeared slightly confused regarding his current location and the date.”
SynonymsAntonyms
confused vs confusing — Confused describes the person feeling the emotion, while confusing describes the thing causing that feeling.
Originally from Middle English confused (“frustrated, ruined”), from Anglo-Norman confus + Middle English -ed (past participial suffix), from Latin cōnfūsus, past participle of cōnfundō; now equivalent to confuse (a back-formation) + -ed.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.