confusion

I

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [The act of confusing]

Syn. obscuring, blurring, mixing up, upsetting, disturbing, embarrassing, discomfiting, abashing, agitating, addling, fuddling, miscalculation, miscalcuLating, befuddling, tangling, mixing, cluttering, disarranging, unsettling, dumbfounding, confounding, perplexing, demoralization, stirring up, snarling, embroiling, misconceiving.

Ant. straightening, order*, arranging.

2. [A confused state]

Syn. disorder, disarray, chaos, jumble, mess, muddle, lack of clearness, lack of distinction, mixup, bewilderment, perplexity, puzzlement, disorientation, bafflement, dislocation, anarchy, complication, intricacy, untidiness, complexity, labyrinth, wilderness, discomfiture, embarrassment, abashment, difficulty, mistake, turmoil, tumult, pandemonium, bedlam, commotion, stir, flurry, ferment, imbroglio, convulsion, bustle, trouble, row, riot, uproar, fracas, agitation, discomposure, emotional upset, daze, fog, haze, blur, ambiguity, obscurity, perturbation, mystification, consternation, befuddlement, distraction, stupefaction, racket, din, Babel, hubbub, ado, disarrangement, mismanagement, excitement, flutter, dither, hysteria, disharmony, turbulence, dismay, uncertainty, maze, quandary, clutter, entanglement, tangle, disorganization, breakdown, knot, congestion, tie-up, interference, nervousness, melee, Gordian knot, derangement, snarl, snag, farrago, hodgepodge, mare's-nest, jungle*, to-do*, hurly-burly*, shutdown*, bungle*, botch*, foul-up*, screw-up*, rumpus*, scramble*, shuffle*, stew*, muddle-headedness*, discombobulation*, tizzy*, going round and round*, jam*, fix*, pretty mess*, pretty pickle*, snafu*; see also disorder 2 , disturbance 2 , embarrassment 1 .

Ant. quiet*, calm, order, comprehension.

• covered with confusion,

Syn. confused, embarrassed, bewildered; see ashamed .

Syn.- confusion suggests an indiscriminate mixing or putting together of things so that it is difficult to distinguish the individual elements or parts [ the hall was a confusion of languages ] ; disorder and disarray imply a disturbance of the proper order or arrangement of parts [ the room was in disorder , her clothes were in disarray] ; chaos implies total and apparently irremediable lack of organization [ the troops are in a state of chaos] ; jumble suggests a confused mixture of dissimilar things [ his drawer was a jumble of clothing and books ] ; muddle implies a snarled confusion resulting from mismanagement or incompetence [ they've made a muddle of the negotiations ]

II

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

1. bewilderment perplexity, bafflement, mystification, puzzlement, disorientation, fog, daze, befuddlement.

2. disorder jumble, mess, disarray, disorganization, tangle, upheaval, labyrinth, muddle, *snafu, anarchy, chaos, bedlam, pandemonium.

ANT.: 1. lucidity, clarity. 2. order, organization, tidiness

III

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun 1. Self-conscious distress: abashment, chagrin, discomfiture, discomposure, embarrassment. See PAIN. 2. A lack of order or regular arrangement: chaos, clutter, confusedness, derangement, disarrangement, disarray, disorder, disorderedness, disorderliness, disorganization, jumble, mess, mix-up, muddle, muss, scramble, topsy-turviness, tumble. Slang: snafu. See ORDER.