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# confused

«confused» in Mova's school dictionary: **Not able to understand something or think clearly; not…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (confused, more confused, most confused); verb (confuse, confuses, confused, confusing — "confused" is the past form)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Not able to understand something or think clearly; not sure what is happening or what to do. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/confused/#m1)

2) Mixed up or unclear: a confused story. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/confused/#m2)

3) As a verb, mixed up two things, thinking one was the other: I confused the twins. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/confused/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In school, it is fine to feel confused; asking a question is the best way to learn ("I'm confused about step 2"). In maths, people are often confused by similar things: area and perimeter, or 0.5 and 5%. In health and safety, sudden confusion in someone, like not knowing where they are after hitting their head, can be a sign of illness or injury — get an adult or call for help. In stories, a confused character shows the reader that things are puzzling. Phrases: "confused about", "get confused", "confused with", "a confused look".

### examples

- I'm confused about how to do long division. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/confused/#x1)
- He looked confused when I spoke French. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/confused/#x2)
- Don't get confused between "their" and "there". [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/confused/#x3)
- She confused salt with sugar and the cake tasted awful! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/confused/#x4)
- Grandma got confused after she fell, so we called an ambulance. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/confused/#x5)
- The new rules confused everyone. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/confused/#x6)
- The puppy looked confused by its reflection. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/confused/#x7)
- Ask the teacher if you are confused. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/confused/#x8)
- The smith was quite confused; he knew nothing about any funeral. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/confused/#x9)

### note

"Confused" describes the person who doesn't understand; "confusing" describes the thing that causes it: "The question was confusing, so I was confused." Noun: confusion. "Confuse A with B" means think A is B.

### In the corpora

- [When an old person gets confused or calls you the wrong name, it is the illness, not a lack of love.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/23-when-grandma-and-grandad-need-more-help/5/)
- ["Lost his marbles" means became mentally confused or went mad; it is humorous and can be unkind.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/5-drink-mind-and-body/8/)
- ["Confused", said of an old person by carers, often means suffering from dementia.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/5-drink-mind-and-body/9/)
- ["Lost his marbles" means gone mad or very confused.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/36-dim-and-round-the-bend/24/)
- [A secret that makes you feel scared, confused or uncomfortable is one you should tell a trusted adult.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/99-mistakes-asking-for-help-and-saying-no/19/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «confused» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/confused/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.