confusion

/kənˈfjuʒən/

/kənˈfjuʒən/

Other forms: confusions

If things are a little hazy and you're not quite sure what's going on, you're in a state of confusion.

Confusion involves disorder, whether it's mixed up thoughts or plain old chaos. If everyone is screaming and running around, there's a lot of confusion. If you don't understand a math problem, you could be in a state of confusion. Mixing up two people who look alike is another type of confusion. If someone wants to make something very clear, they might say, "Let me clear up any confusion."

Definitions of confusion

1. noun

   a mistake that results from taking one thing to be another
   “he changed his name in order to avoid confusion with the notorious outlaw”

   synonyms: mix-up

   type of:

   error, fault, mistake

   a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
2. noun

   a mental state characterized by a lack of clear and orderly thought and behavior
   “a confusion of impressions”

   synonyms: confusedness, disarray, mental confusion, muddiness

   types:

   disorientation

   confusion (usually transient) about where you are and how to proceed; uncertainty as to direction

   distraction

   mental turmoil

   daze, fog, haze

   confusion characterized by lack of clarity

   half-cock

   confusion resulting from lack of preparation

   jamais vu

   the experience of being unfamiliar with a person or situation that is actually very familiar; associated with certain types of epilepsy

   bafflement, befuddlement, bemusement, bewilderment, mystification, obfuscation, puzzlement

   confusion resulting from failure to understand

   perplexity

   trouble or confusion resulting from complexity

   culture shock

   a condition of disorientation affecting someone who is suddenly exposed to an unfamiliar culture or way of life or set of attitudes

   closed book, enigma, mystery, secret

   something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained

   maze, snarl, tangle

   something jumbled or confused

   dilemma, quandary

   state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options

   type of:

   cognitive state, state of mind

   the state of a person's cognitive processes
3. noun

   a feeling of embarrassment that leaves you confused
   synonyms: discombobulation

   type of:

   embarrassment

   the shame you feel when your inadequacy or guilt is made public
4. noun

   disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably
   “the army retreated in confusion”

   types:

   demoralisation, demoralization

   a state of disorder and confusion

   bluster

   noisy confusion and turbulence

   bedlam, chaos, pandemonium, tohubohu, topsy-turvydom, topsy-turvyness

   a state of extreme confusion and disorder

   hugger-mugger

   a state of confusion

   schemozzle, shemozzle

   (Yiddish) a confused situation or affair; a mess

   balagan

   a word for chaos or fiasco borrowed from modern Hebrew (where it is a loan word from Russian)

   type of:

   disorder

   a disturbance of the peace or of public order
5. noun

   an act causing a disorderly combination of elements with identities lost and distinctions blended
   “the confusion of tongues at the Tower of Babel”

   types:

   babel

   a confusion of voices and other sounds

   type of:

   combination, combining, compounding

   the act of combining things to form a new whole