confuse

English

Etymology

Back formation from Middle English confused ("frustrated, ruined"), from Anglo-Norman confus, from Latin confusus, past participle of confundō.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kənˈfjuːz/
• Rhymes: -uːz

Verb

confuse (third-person singular simple present confuses, present participle confusing, simple past and past participle confused)

1. To thoroughly mix; to confound; to disorder.
2. (obsolete) To rout; discomfit.
3. To mix up; to puzzle; to bewilder.
4. To make uneasy and ashamed; to embarrass.
5. To mistake one thing for another.

Synonyms

• flummox
• mistake
• See also Wikisaurus:confuse

Related terms

• confused
• confusing
• confusion

Translations

to mix thoroughly

• Bulgarian: размесвам (bg) (razmesvam)
• Chinese: trad. 攪亂, simpl. 搅乱 (pinyin: jiǎoluàn)
• Dutch: verwarren (nl), in de war brengen (nl), dooreenhalen (nl)
• Finnish: sotkea, sekoittaa (täysin / perusteellisesti)
• German: vermischen (de)

• Hungarian: összekever (hu)
• Norwegian: blande (no)
• Russian: смешивать (ru) (sméšivat')
• Scottish Gaelic: cuir tro-chèile (gd)
• Swedish: blanda (sv)

to rout — see rout

to mix up; to puzzle; to bewilder

• Arabic: أربك (ar) ('arbaka)
• Bulgarian: обърквам (bg) (obǎrkvam), смущавам (bg) (smuštavam)
• Czech: zmást (cs)
• Danish: forvirre (da)
• Dutch: verbijsteren (nl)
• Esperanto: konfuzi (eo)
• Finnish: sekoittaa, saada ymmälleen, hämätä (fi)
• French: confondre (fr)

• German: verwirren (de), konfuse (de) machen
• Hebrew: בלבל (he) (bilbel) m
• Norwegian: forvirre (no)
• Portuguese: confundir (pt)
• Romanian: încurca (ro)
• Russian: путать (ru) (pútat')
• Scottish Gaelic: cuir tro-chèile (gd)

to embarrass

• Arabic: أربك (ar) ('arbaka)
• Bulgarian: смущавам (bg) (smuštavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 迷惑 (cmn) (míhuo)

• Danish: bringe en i forlegenhed (da)
• Finnish: nolata, saattaa / saada hämilleen

• German: jemanden in Verlegenheit (de) f bringen
• Japanese: 混乱させる (ja) (konran-saseru)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: bringe noen i forlegenhet (no) m and f

• Russian: смущать (ru) (smuščát')

to mistake one thing for another

• Bulgarian: обърквам (bg) (obǎrkvam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 混同 (cmn) (hùntóng)

• Czech: splést, zaměnit
• Danish: forveksle (da)
• Dutch: verwarren (nl), in de war brengen (nl), dooreenhalen (nl)
• Esperanto: konfuzi (eo)
• Finnish: sekoittaa (fi), erehtyä (fi)
• French: confondre (fr)

• German: verwechseln (de)
• Hebrew: בלבל (he) (bilbel) m
• Hungarian: összekever (hu)
• Japanese: 混同する (ja) (kondō-suru)
• Norwegian: forveksle (no)
• Polish: pomylić (pl)
• Russian: путать (ru) (pútat')
• Turkish: karıştırmak (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Spanish: confundir
• Swedish: förvirra

See also

• discombobulate

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French

Pronunciation

• Audio (Paris)

  (file)

Adjective

confuse f

1. feminine form of confus

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Italian

Adjective

confuse f pl

1. feminine plural of confuso

Verb

confuse

1. third-person singular past historic of confondere
2. Feminine plural past participle of confondere

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Latin

Participle

cōnfūse

1. vocative masculine singular of cōnfūsus