释义 |
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024con•fuse /kənˈfyuz/USA pronunciation v. [~ + object], -fused, -fus•ing. - to cause to make a mistake;
mix up: The flood of questions confused me. - to make hard to understand, unclear, or indistinct:Let's not confuse matters.
- to fail to distinguish between (two things):I always confuse the twins.[~ + object + with + object]I always confuse one twin with the other.
confuse is a verb, confusion is a noun, confused and confusing are adjectives:All those numbers just confused me. The airport was a scene of confusion. Confused students looked at one another nervously. It was a confusing homework problem. WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024con•fuse (kən fyo̅o̅z′),USA pronunciation v.t., -fused, -fus•ing. - to perplex or bewilder:The flood of questions confused me.
- to make unclear or indistinct:The rumors and angry charges tended to confuse the issue.
- to fail to distinguish between; associate by mistake;
confound:to confuse dates; He always confuses the twins. - to disconcert or abash:His candor confused her.
- to combine without order;
jumble; disorder:Try not to confuse the papers on the desk. - [Archaic.]to bring to ruin or naught.
- Latin confūsus, past participle of confundere; see confound
- Anglo-French confus (with -ed -ed2 maintaining participial sense)
- back formation from confused (since early 19th century), Middle English confused
con•fus′a•ble, adj. con•fus′a•bil′i•ty, n. con•fus′a•bly, adv. con•fus•ed•ly (kən fyo̅o̅′zid lē, -fyo̅o̅zd′-),USA pronunciation adv. con•fus′ed•ness, n. - 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged mystify, nonplus. Confuse, disconcert, embarrass imply temporary interference with the clear working of one's mind. To confuse is to produce a general bewilderment:to confuse someone by giving complicated directions.To disconcert is to disturb one's mind by irritation, perplexities, etc.:to disconcert someone by asking irrelevant questions.To embarrass is to cause one to be ill at ease or uncomfortable, so that one's usual judgment and presence of mind desert one:to embarrass someone by unexpected rudeness.
- 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged mortify, shame.
- 5.See corresponding entry in Unabridged disarray, disarrange, disturb.
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