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What is "confusion"

Crossword clues for confusion

confusion
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
confusion
noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a state of shock/confusion/panic etc
▪ Howard, still in a state of shock, stared at Newman.
cause confusion
▪ Teachers say the reforms will cause confusion in schools.
chaos and confusion
▪ Heavy flooding has created chaos and confusion throughout the country.
confusion reigned
▪ For several minutes confusion reigned.
hide your disappointment/embarrassment/confusion etc
▪ She laughed to hide her nervousness.
sow doubt/confusion/dissatisfaction etc
▪ an attempt to sow doubt among the jury members
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
considerable
▪ There proved to be considerable confusion in terminology used in the responses of interviewees.
▪ After sundown the Confederates made an attack on the right creating considerable confusion.
▪ She jumped backwards and forwards in her narrative, creating considerable confusion in Dougal's mind.
▪ There was considerable confusion in the administration over the correct procedure.
▪ The young of these species are quite similar, which has led to considerable confusion in their identification and classification.
▪ There had been considerable confusion over the interpretation of the embargo, the inquiry was told.
▪ The existence of sub-sects such as the Zadokites and the Nazareans has generated considerable confusion and uncertainty among biblical scholars.
great
▪ More seriously there was, and still is, great confusion about need and demand for service.
▪ The editor who creates the greatest confusion among businesspeople is the boss-as-editor.
▪ Events moved quickly, though as Cullingworth's history reveals, not without great uncertainty and confusion in Whitehall.
▪ In ordinary notation that would lead to great confusion, but it fits in well with the notation just described above.
▪ This seems to be the law, but it can be elicited only from a great confusion of terminology in the reports.
▪ In the outer waiting room there was even greater confusion.
▪ I know there was great confusion that night.
▪ There was great confusion and indignation as the marchers were forced to halt.
mental
▪ Dimitri Volkov was in a fog of mental apathy and confusion.
▪ This can be exacerbated by the abused adult suffering from mental illness and confusion.
▪ Chapter 8 Mental confusion can be assuaged in many ways, and one of the best ways for me is exercise.
utter
▪ To another it might have seemed utter confusion, but Chen had been born here.
▪ It was total and utter confusion.
▪ At times these difficulties combined with a muddled administrative situation to produce utter confusion and dismay.
■ VERB
add
▪ It therefore had to change tack, further adding to confusion in governmental policy-making.
▪ As a result they further misrepresent the characters and by misusing them have added to the confusion.
▪ To add to the confusion, we are not even certain about the biochemical pathway of vitamin C synthesis in plants.
▪ To add to his confusion, he still finds himself sat alone watching television and wondering where all these people are.
▪ The introduction of yet another term will add confusion.
▪ The Earth's rotation adds to the confusion.
▪ Byrne says that they added to the confusion by jumping up and down and shouting with glee.
▪ At the risk of adding to the confusion four sub-divisions of the Ophiacanthidae are proposed for testing.
avoid
▪ But then to avoid confusion we need some way of marking the participant role distinction.
▪ His abrupt style seems to represent a deliberate technique for saving time and avoiding confusion.
▪ Separation is advisable to avoid confusion and aid development.
▪ To avoid confusion, we explain the main points first and deal with the more specialised capital gains aspects further along.
▪ Pupils need clear step-by-step explanations in order to avoid confusion.
▪ One way to avoid confusion is to build language work into science sessions.
▪ Every 10 seconds the display changes to show elapsed bottom time on an otherwise clear screen, to avoid confusion.
▪ New administrative systems were needed to avoid confusion.
bring
▪ Trying to say the right thing to calm things down or protect people's feelings only brings more upset and confusion.
▪ It also it has brought disappointment and confusion.
▪ Medically prescribed drugs - essential though they may be - sometimes bring about confusion or memory loss.
▪ The revelations of evil that I had experienced had brought me only to confusion and powerlessness.
▪ July brings confusion to your romance and you may need to remind yourself why you're in love!
cause
▪ Anomalies cause confusion and anger among claimants.
▪ It caused a lot of confusion.
▪ I seek your guidance about a matter on today's Order Paper that is causing some confusion.
▪ What is being emphasized here is the fact that the two terms should not cause the proposal author confusion.
▪ This sort of response can cause a lot of confusion for those around who perhaps do not share the same feeling.
▪ Often, the terms hypertext and hypermedia are used interchangeably, causing confusion.
▪ The second has caused much confusion, some of it deliberate, which has plainly rubbed off on Mr Dalyell.
▪ Excessive doses can cause panic, confusion, inability to sleep, hallucinations and paranoia.
clear
▪ Let us begin with his efforts to clear up the confusion of questions 2 and 3.
▪ Before I could help others, though, I had to clear up some job confusion of my own.
create
▪ An angry mob creates confusion and prevents the smooth running of its hunting sequence.
▪ After sundown the Confederates made an attack on the right creating considerable confusion.
▪ Dodging the issue like this only creates feelings of confusion, guilt or resentment.
▪ Thus, the ambiguity in the split authority flow creates organizational confusion, and Homeric breakdowns in communication.
▪ Could there be Bacon rooms, more or less the same, dotted throughout the house in order to create confusion?
▪ The editor who creates the greatest confusion among businesspeople is the boss-as-editor.
▪ She jumped backwards and forwards in her narrative, creating considerable confusion in Dougal's mind.
▪ It has created confusion about the nature of sociological scholarship and has concealed opportunities for many more craft sociologists.
hide
▪ Mr Cottle blushed and then snorted into a handkerchief to hide his confusion.
▪ We look at each other, and then, drop our gaze to hide our confusion.
▪ Most significantly for the theme of this book we talk to: Conceal our desires, hide our vulnerability or confusion.
lead
▪ Often such complex layouts lead to immediate confusion, but the manual gets you off the ground with some helpful suggested settings.
▪ But surely this must lead to confusion sometimes.
▪ The context will prevent this ambiguity from leading to confusion.
▪ In ordinary notation that would lead to great confusion, but it fits in well with the notation just described above.
▪ If a statutory definition were to be promulgated, it would lead to confusion, and a spate of litigation.
▪ The young of these species are quite similar, which has led to considerable confusion in their identification and classification.
▪ The inference of user information needs from user information-seeking behaviour has led to much confusion.
▪ Analyzing data received on any other basis than getting more engrams leads to delay and confusion for the preclear.
reign
▪ This last point is where much of the confusion currently reigns.
▪ A sometimes-creative confusion reigns at the teams-of-teams level.
▪ She screamed, but it had little effect, just added to the confusion that reigned in the room.
▪ And it was true, as Christians never tired of pointing out, that a painful spiritual confusion reigned.
▪ But confusion reigned over the idea of the menstrual cycle.
▪ Total confusion reigns supreme, and an atmosphere close to mass hysteria ensues.
result
▪ This often results in confusion about the committee's precise remit and a lack of focus in its operations.
▪ The resulting upset and confusion could cause employee walk-outs or the loss of business and create a seriously negative public image.
▪ Although this complication is unlikely to cause overt clinical problems it may result in diagnostic confusion particularly with peritoneal malignancy.
sow
▪ He sows seeds of confusion by way of a million opinions on every subject within its covers.
▪ This teaching was a boon to the married laity, but it sowed confusion among priests.
▪ If your review does not stop them, at least your rapier has sown confusion and dismay.
▪ Milosevic has granted piecemeal concessions while sowing the kind of confusion that he has used in the past to stymie opponents.
▪ It has sown confusion and anxiety among researchers by giving birth to the ambiguous concept of sensitive but unclassified research.
▪ And the editors seem to enjoy sowing that confusion.
throw
▪ However, the death of Vial shortly afterwards threw everything into confusion.
▪ Instead, it was going directly across their path, which threw them into confusion.
▪ Since the middle of the 1870s a world monetary depression had thrown trade into confusion.
▪ The guaranteed income bond market was thrown into confusion.
▪ The first time I met a boy who wasn't completely gross in his personal habits, I was thrown into confusion.
▪ The matter was thrown into further confusion, however, when leave to appeal was granted to the minority shareholders.
▪ All estimates of the balance of post-war power were thrown into confusion.
▪ Advancing on a narrow front, the bristling schiltrons threw their opponents into confusion on such unfamiliar, unstable ground.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
throw sb/sth into confusion/chaos/disarray etc
▪ Advancing on a narrow front, the bristling schiltrons threw their opponents into confusion on such unfamiliar, unstable ground.
▪ But a Cup replay would throw those plans into disarray.
▪ He briefly dissolved Congress in 1992 to successfully fight two guerrilla insurgencies that had thrown the country into chaos.
▪ However, the death of Vial shortly afterwards threw everything into confusion.
▪ Instead, it was going directly across their path, which threw them into confusion.
▪ It was their starting-point that was often illogical or arbitrary and threw the listener into confusion.
▪ Now the ruling, which could open the way for new prosecutions, has thrown the issue into chaos.
▪ Since the middle of the 1870s a world monetary depression had thrown trade into confusion.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ I hope the meeting will clear up people's confusion.
▪ Jake's confusion at meeting Sherri at the party was obvious.
▪ The bombers escaped in the confusion following the explosion.
▪ The final scene of the play threw much of the audience into confusion.
▪ The new rules have caused a lot of confusion.
▪ There is still confusion over who is responsible for the accident.
▪ To avoid confusion, the teams wore different colors.
▪ We made our way through the noise and confusion of the marketplace to our hotel.
▪ With all the confusion, nobody noticed the two boys leave.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ As a result they further misrepresent the characters and by misusing them have added to the confusion.
▪ However, nowhere else has dressing down caused so much angst and confusion as in the routine workday.
▪ If the conscious level of the patient is affected - drowsiness, confusion, lethargy and unresponsiveness.
▪ The linguistic phenomena we see in the texts reflect not classical fusion of law but post-classical confusion of language.
▪ There is a lot of confusion among parents.
▪ Whatever his intentions about the succession, it was almost certainly not the confusion which actually occurred.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Confusion

Confusion \Con*fu"sion\, n. [F. confusion, L. confusio.]

  1. The state of being mixed or blended so as to produce indistinctness or error; indistinct combination; disorder; tumult.

    The confusion of thought to which the Aristotelians were liable.
    --Whewell.

    Moody beggars starving for a time Of pellmell havoc and confusion.
    --Shak.

  2. The state of being abashed or disconcerted; loss self-possession; perturbation; shame.

    Confusion dwelt in every face And fear in every heart.
    --Spectator.

  3. Overthrow; defeat; ruin.

    Ruin seize thee, ruthless king, Confusion on thy banners wait.
    --Gray.

  4. One who confuses; a confounder. [Obs.]
    --Chapmen.

    Confusion of goods (Law), the intermixture of the goods of two or more persons, so that their respective portions can no longer be distinguished.
    --Blackstone.
    --Bouvier.

Related phrases:
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
confusion

late 13c., "overthrow, ruin," from Old French confusion (11c.) "disorder, confusion, shame," from Latin confusionem (nominative confusio) "a mingling, mixing, blending; confusion, disorder," noun of action from confundere "to pour together," also "to confuse" (see confound). Sense of "a putting to shame" (a sort of mental "overthrow") is late 14c. in English, while that of "mental perplexity" is from 1590s.

Wiktionary
confusion

n. 1 A lack of clarity or order. 2 The state of being confused; misunderstanding. 3 (context obsolete English) disgrace, shame

Related phrases:
WordNet
confusion

  1. n. disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably; "the army retreated in confusion"

  2. a mental state characterized by a lack of clear and orderly thought and behavior; "a confusion of impressions" [syn: mental confusion, confusedness, disarray]

  3. a feeling of embarrassment that leaves you confused [syn: discombobulation]

  4. an act causing a disorderly combination of elements with identities lost and distinctions blended; "the confusion of tongues at the Tower of Babel"

  5. a mistake that results from taking one thing to be another; "he changed his name in order to avoid confusion with the notorious outlaw" [syn: mix-up]

Related phrases:
Wikipedia
Confusion (disambiguation)

Mental confusion is the inability to think clearly and quickly.

Confusion or Confused may also refer to:

Confusion (New Order song)

"Confusion" is a single released by British group New Order in August 1983 with the catalogue number FAC 93. It was the follow-up to their breakthrough hit " Blue Monday" and is unique for having both Peter Hook and Bernard Sumner playing bass guitars on it. The song is produced by influential New York DJ Arthur Baker. As a result, it was recorded in New York, a rarity for the band. Three remixes served as B-sides on the initial 12" release: "Confused Beats", "Confusion Instrumental" and "Confusion Rough Mix". The two tracks on side A ("Confusion" & "Confused Beats") are mixed together, which when played in sequence, act as a thirteen and half minute long remix by Arthur Baker. The "Rough Mix" on side B is the original song mixed by New Order.

Confusion

Confusion (from Latin confusĭo, -ōnis, from confundere: "to pour together;" "to mingle together;" "to confuse") is the state of being bewildered or unclear in one’s mind about something.

ConFusion (convention)

ConFusion is an annual science fiction convention organized by the Stilyagi Air Corps and its parent organization, the Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association. Commonly, it is held the third weekend of January. It is the oldest science fiction convention in Michigan, a regional, general SF con similar to Windycon and Lunacon. The programming consists of panels on science fiction and fantasy literature, media, science, fandom, art, comics, music, costuming, etc. with discussions by authors, scientists, fans, and artists. There is a large music track, board and roleplaying games, KidFusion — a track of programming specifically for kids — and a masquerade or costume contest.

ConFusion has a consuite as well as room parties hosted by other conventions, WorldCon bids, and local clubs.

Confusion (Electric Light Orchestra song)

"Confusion" is the second song from the 1979 Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) album Discovery. It features acoustic guitar and vocoder.

It was released in the UK as a double A-side single with "Last Train to London". It peaked at number 8 in the UK Singles Chart. In the United States the song was released as a single with "Poker" on the B-side becoming a more modest hit, reaching number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Confusion (The Zutons song)

"Confusion" was the last single to be released from The Zutons' first album Who Killed...... The Zutons? (2004). It entered the UK Singles Chart at number 37.

The song was used in a UK advertisement for the Peugeot 307 car range during 2005.

Confusion (novella)

Confusion'' (German:Verwirrung der Gefühle''), also known under the literal translation Confusion of Feelings, and as Episode in the Early Life of Privy Councillor D. is a 1927 novella by the Austrian writer Stefan Zweig. It tells the story of a student and his friendship with a professor. It was originally published in the omnibus volume Conflicts: Three Tales, together with two other Zweig novellas, Twenty-Four Hours in the Life of a Woman and Untergang eines Herzens. It was included on Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century

Confusion (album)

Confusion is a studio album by Nigerian Afrobeat musician Fela Kuti and his band the Africa 70. It was arranged, composed, and produced by Kuti, and released in 1975 by EMI. He recorded the album after choosing to emphasize his African heritage and nationalism in his music. Confusion is a commentary on the confused state of post-colonial Lagos and its lack of infrastructure and proper leadership at the time. Kuti's pidgin English lyrics depict difficult conditions in the city, including a frenetic, multilingual trading market and inextricable traffic jams in Lagos' major intersections.

Confusion is a one-song Afrobeat album that begins with an entirely instrumental first half, which features free form interplay between Kuti's electric piano and drummer Tony Allen. It leads to an extended mid-tempo section with Allen's polyrhythms and tenor saxophone by Kuti, who subsequently delivers call-and-response vocal passages. In retrospective reviews, the album was praised by music critics, who found it exemplary of Kuti's Afrobeat style and recommended it as a highlight from his extensive catalog. In both 2000 and 2010, Confusion was reissued and bundled with Kuti's 1973 album Gentleman.

Related phrases:

Usage examples of "confusion".

The artillery attempted to unlimber and to bring their guns to bear again, but the confusion that prevailed in the crowded spot rendered this next to impossible, and long before it could be accomplished the iron hail again swept through the ranks, and two rattling volleys from their invisible foes behind the flanking abattis again flashed out.

UIA reports arrived month after month, endlessly piling confusion upon confusion as his three distant enemies across the sea laughed and joked and dealt the cards that spun out their game over the years in the eternal city, as Nubar brooded over hearsay and hints and shadowy allegations in his castle tower in Albania, safe and far away as he wanted to be, as indeed he had to be so great was his fear of the conflicting clues of the Old City that rose above time and the desert, at home in his castle tower safely handling charts and numbers to his satisfaction, safely arranging concepts.

Those behind held their own with some firmness, but their leaders, the alcaides of Marabella and Casares, being slain, the line gave way and fled towards the rear-guard, passing through the droves of cattle, which they threw into utter confusion.

No, half an hour before his intended departure would be fine to prevent any confusion in the antiair batteries.

Corysandre etait restee en arriere, mais sans chercher a se cacher, la tete haute, ne laissant paraitre sa confusion que par le trouble de ses yeux et la rougeur de son visage.

All was confusion, and Montoya sent Father Diaz Tano to Asuncion to beg the Governor, Don Luis de Cespedes, to send them help.

Meantime Asuncion was in confusion, the Bishop and the Governor keeping no measure with the other man of sin.

He sensed the confusion of his flag bridge crew, and this time, he had no answer at all for them.

A scene of orderly confusion immediately followed, as camp equipage of every description was taken from the boats and carried to the place where axemen were already at work clearing away underbrush or cutting wood for the fires.

There is some confusion as to exactly when Susan Atkins first discussed the Tate-LaBianca murders with Ronnie Howard.

Maybe it was sight of the axletree, maybe it was just the roiling confusion of his life, but he felt fury rise in him like that he felt in the dreams where he swung a sword.

Casa del Ayuntamiento - were left in some confusion in the Plaza, and Estella saw with a sudden cold fear that Conyngham and Concha were on their knees in the midst of a little group of hesitating men.

A walk down the corridor of Azteca Sal, a seat in the midst of confusion.

The people hoot and hiss them, the lower classes sing songs in derision of them, and play them all manner of tricks, and the whole scene is one of incredible noise, uproar, and confusion, more worthy of some pagan bacchanalia than a procession of Christian people.

As regards the soil, the gullies at Anzac on the spurs of Sari Bahr were quite bewildering in their heaped up confusion, partly rocky, but mainly a sort of red clay and very steep.