confuse

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“
The mission was to confuse, which is mostly what accounting ends up doing even if it's professed aim is clear standards.

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Definitions (22)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (8)

  1. transitive verb To cause to be unable to think with clarity or act with intelligence or understanding; throw off.
  2. transitive verb To cause to feel embarrassment.
  3. transitive verb To mistake (for another): confused effusiveness with affection.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (7)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

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Examples (50)

  • It was done to confuse, and, apparently, it succeeded in its object. —  Watson's Choice - Gladys Mitchell - Bradley 28 - 1955
  • Not given the billions pumped in to private banks (and bankers pensions!) but the bandying-about of large figures seeks to confuse, and maybe shock people into accepting things they wouldn't otherwise do - surely advocating privatisation of a favourite public body when the public purse is being used to support failed private companies would be a bad idea, tactically, even if you are a rabid-free marketeer? —  Indymedia Ireland
  • Camaguey was relocated in the C16th and its maze-like street pattern designed to completely confuse (pirate) attackers. —  The Guardian World News
  • It is not just that commercial websites can confuse, mis-inform, cheat, waste time or fail to deliver. —  euronews
  • They have done more to confuse, waste air time, and generally provide a dis-service than anything I've seen the "government" promote. —  The Red Tape Chronicles
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Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

frustrate ·  embarrass ·  disturb ·  frighten ·  perplex ·  bizarre ·  contradictory ·  excite ·  chaotic ·  messy ·  mislead ·  incomprehensible

Used in the same contextWord Family

confuse:   confusing ·  confused ·  confuses
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English confusen, from Old French confus, perplexed, from Latin cōnfūsus, past participle of cōnfundere, to mix together; see confound.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Latin confusus, past participle of confundere, pour out together, mingle, confound: see confound.
  2. from Middle English confus = D. confuus = German confus = Danish konfus, from Old French confus, French confus = Spanish Portuguese Italian confuso, from Latin confusus, past participle: see the verb.
 

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/kənˈfjuz/
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