[syn: confusion, mix-up]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
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.
[1913 Webster]
The confusion of thought to which the Aristotelians
were liable. --Whewell.
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Moody beggars starving for a time
Of pellmell havoc and confusion. --Shak.
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2. The state of being abashed or disconcerted; loss
self-possession; perturbation; shame.
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Confusion dwelt in every face
And fear in every heart. --Spectator.
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3. Overthrow; defeat; ruin.
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Ruin seize thee, ruthless king,
Confusion on thy banners wait. --Gray.
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4. One who confuses; a confounder. [Obs.] --Chapmen.
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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.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
confusion
n 1: 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:
confusion, mental confusion, confusedness, muddiness,
disarray]
3: a feeling of embarrassment that leaves you confused [syn:
confusion, 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: confusion, mix-up]