What does "confusion" mean?

Confusion: The state of being abashed or disconcerted; loss self-possession; perturbation; shame. Confusion dwelt in every face And fear in every heart. Spectator.

Additional senses

2.Overthrow; defeat; ruin. Ruin seize thee, ruthless king, Confusion on thy banners wait. Gray.
3.One who confuses; a confounder. [Obs.] Chapmen. 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.

Sources

Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00