confused, ppl. a.
(kənˈfjuːzd)
[f. confuse v. + -ed1.]
I. 1. As pa. pple. this dates back to 14th c.: see the examples under the verb.
II. as adj.
2. Of persons, or the mind: Amazed, perplexed, bewildered, disconcerted, etc.: see confuse v. 2.
| [1382 Wyclif Dan. ii. 3 Y confusid, or astonyed, in mynde.] 1833 Lamb Elia Ser. ii. xiii. (1865) 321 He was already so confused with age. 1847 Emerson Repr. Men, Napoleon Wks. (Bohn) I. 370 A realist terrific to all talkers, and confused truth-obscuring persons. 1887 Pall Mall G. 24 Mar., In the presence of the confused husband. |
3. Characterized by disorderly combination or intermixture; disordered, disorderly.
| 1576 Fleming Panop. Epist. 219 It is such a confused and disordered heape. 1611 Bible Isa. ix. 5 Confused noise. 1640 Order Ho. Com. in Rushw. Hist. Coll. (1692) iii. I. 44 Whosoever shall go forth of the House in a Confused manner, before Mr. Speaker, shall forfeit 10s. a 1678 Marvell Flecno, Confuseder than the atoms in the sun. 1714 J. Macky Journ. thro' Eng. (1732) I. 81 Gravesend is a little confused Town..always full of Seamen. 1874 Green Short Hist. viii. 531 The battle..was little more than a confused combat of horse. |
b. Nat. Hist. Not arranged in order.
| 1776 Withering Brit. Plants (1796) IV. 25 Bristles straight..unequal, confused, very simple. 1869 E. Newman Brit. Moths 300 The Confused Moth (Mamestra furva). |
† 4. Made up of several ingredients mingled together; blended, mixed. Cf. confuse v. 4. rare.
| 1594 Carew Tasso (1881) 96 And blush of scorne fellowd with that of shame, Forth both at once, mixt and confused came. 1620 Venner Via Recta vi. 102, I aduise all such as are respectiue of their health, to refraine the vse of all confused sauces. 1677 Littleton Lat. Dict. s.v., Confused or mixt together, confusus. |
5. Said of perceptions or notions in which the elements or parts are mixed up and not clearly distinguished; also of utterance, language, the thinker or speaker, etc.
| 1611 Bp. Hall Epist. iv. vii, This awefull and confused apprehension of the Deitie. 1690 Locke Hum. Und. ii. xxix. §4 A confused idea is such an one as is not sufficiently distinguishable from another, from which it ought to be different. 1733 Berkeley Th. Vision Vind. §23 The confused use of the word ‘object’. 1862 H. Spencer First Princ. ii. iv. §52 In their confused thoughts, the one was equivalent to the other. 1878 tr. Ziemssen's Cycl. Med. xiv. 819 The hesitating speech may become confused, although the confused speech sometimes gushes out in a rapid stream. |