confusing

[kuh n-fyoo-zing] /kənˈfyu zɪŋ/
adjective
1.
causing or tending to cause confusion:
a confusing attempt at explanation.
Origin
1840-50; confuse + -ing2
Related forms
confusingly, adverb
confusingness, noun
unconfusing, adjective

confuse

[kuh n-fyooz] /kənˈfyuz/
verb (used with object), confused, confusing.
1.
to perplex or bewilder:
The flood of questions confused me.
2.
to make unclear or indistinct:
The rumors and angry charges tended to confuse the issue.
3.
to fail to distinguish between; associate by mistake; confound:
to confuse dates; He always confuses the twins.
4.
to disconcert or abash:
His candor confused her.
5.
to combine without order; jumble; disorder:
Try not to confuse the papers on the desk.
6.
Archaic. to bring to ruin or naught.
Origin
back formation from confused (since early 19th century), Middle English confused < Anglo-French confus (with -ed -ed2 maintaining participial sense) < Latin confūsus, past participle of confundere; see confound
Related forms
confusable, adjective
confusability, noun
confusably, adverb
confusedly
[kuh n-fyoo-zid-lee, -fyoozd-] /kənˈfyu zɪd li, -ˈfyuzd-/ (Show IPA), adverb
confusedness, noun
preconfuse, verb (used with object), preconfused, preconfusing.
preconfusedly, adverb
reconfuse, verb (used with object), reconfused, reconfusing.
superconfused, adjective
unconfusable, adjective
unconfusably, adverb
unconfused, adjective
unconfusedly, adverb
Synonyms
1. 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. mortify, shame. 5. disarray, disarrange, disturb.
Examples from the web for confusing
  • Before the remodel, the home's confusing floor plan blocked easy access to the rear garden and kept rooms dark and cramped.
  • Choosing the right products to keep your plants healthy can often be a bit confusing.
  • The result is sometimes confusing, because it mixes two different orders of scientific conceptions.
  • She hung back while he led her through confusing doorways and helped her over the piles of laths that littered the floors.
  • It is always confusing when going from one room to the next in a museum to know which way to turn.
  • Some aspects of the discovery, though, are still confusing for the scientists.
  • She keeps track of this confusing and colorful aerial menagerie with a little biological sleuthing.
  • These intentionally confusing spaces are created in part by a long void that cuts through the length and height of the museum.
  • There will be fewer confusing meal choices and more healthier, premium products such as salads, yoghurts and sliced fruit.
  • It was a confusing performance, and many were duly confused.
British Dictionary definitions for confusing

confuse

/kənˈfjuːz/
verb (transitive)
1.
to bewilder; perplex
2.
to mix up (things, ideas, etc); jumble
3.
to make unclear: he confused his talk with irrelevant details
4.
to fail to recognize the difference between; mistake (one thing) for another
5.
to disconcert; embarrass
6.
to cause to become disordered: the enemy ranks were confused by gas
Derived Forms
confusable, adjective, noun
confusability, noun
Word Origin
C18: back formation from confused, from Latin confūsus mingled together, from confundere to pour together; see confound

confusing

/kənˈfjuːzɪŋ/
adjective
1.
causing bewilderment; difficult to follow; puzzling
Derived Forms
confusingly, adverb
Word Origin and History for confusing

confuse

v.

1550s, in literal sense "mix or mingle things so as to render the elements indistinguishable;" attested from mid-18c. in active, figurative sense of "discomfit in mind or feeling;" not in general use until 19c., taking over senses formerly belonging to confound, dumbfound, flabbergast etc. The past participle confused (q.v.) is attested much earlier (serving as an alternative past tense to confound), and the verb here might be a back-formation from it. Related: Confusing.