- [uncountable, countable]
a state of not being certain about what is happening, what you should do, what something means, etc. 不确定；困惑 The announcement caused a lot of confusion. 公告引起了很多混乱。 - confusion about/over something
There is some confusion about what the correct procedure should be. 对于应该采取什么正确步骤，还是有些不明确。 - confusion as to something
There was a confusion as to what to do next. 不清楚下一步该怎么办。
Extra ExamplesTopics Doubt, guessing and certaintyb2The announcement caused a lot of confusion among the students. 这个布告令学生大惑不解。 The government needs to clear up the confusion surrounding its policy on water. 政府需要厘清混乱的水务政策。 There has been considerable confusion regarding the facts of her death. 人们对她死亡一事感到颇为费解。 a few key tips to help you avoid any confusion 有助于避免混淆的几条关键提示 There is widespread confusion about the government's health policy. 对于政府的卫生政策，人们普遍觉得费解。 confusion as to the whereabouts of the man 关于这名男子行踪的疑团
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- complete
- total
- utter
- …
- avoid
- prevent
- cause
- …
- arise
- reign
- surround something
- …
- in (the) confusion
- confusion about
- confusion over
- …
- a scene of confusion
- a state of confusion
- to avoid confusion
- …
- [uncountable, countable]
the fact of making a mistake about who somebody is or what something is 混淆；混同 To avoid confusion, please write the children's names clearly on all their school clothes. 为避免搞错，请在孩子所有的校服上写清楚他们各自的姓名。 - confusion between A and B
confusion between letters of the alphabet like ‘o’ or ‘a’ 像 o 或 a 这类字母之间的易于混淆
Extra ExamplesI kept my ex-husband's last name to prevent confusion. 我保留了前夫的姓氏以避免引起混乱。 They are very hard to tell apart, so the confusion is understandable. 很难把他们区分开来，所以混淆是可以理解的。 To avoid confusion, label each box clearly. 为了避免混乱，给每一个盒子贴上清楚的标签。 medication labels that minimize confusion 尽量减少混乱的药品标签 the confusion of this book with her last one 把这本书与她上一本书弄混
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- complete
- total
- utter
- …
- avoid
- prevent
- cause
- …
- arise
- reign
- surround something
- …
- in (the) confusion
- confusion about
- confusion over
- …
- a scene of confusion
- a state of confusion
- to avoid confusion
- …
- [uncountable]
a situation in which you feel embarrassed because you do not understand something and are not sure what to do 困窘；尴尬；局促不安 - in confusion
He looked at me in confusion and did not answer the question. 他困窘地看着我，没有回答问题。 Sacha felt confusion sweeping over her as she read the letter. 萨夏读着信，感到一阵困惑席卷了她。
Extra ExamplesShe stared at them both in utter confusion. 她盯着他俩，完全不知所措。 I could sense her confusion and frustration. 我能感觉到她的困惑与沮丧。 His expression was one of pure confusion. 他显出一副完全摸不着头脑的表情。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- complete
- total
- utter
- …
- avoid
- prevent
- cause
- …
- arise
- reign
- surround something
- …
- in (the) confusion
- confusion about
- confusion over
- …
- a scene of confusion
- a state of confusion
- to avoid confusion
- …
- in confusion
- [uncountable]
a confused situation in which people do not know what action to take （让人不知所措的）混乱局面，乱成一团 Fighting had broken out and all was chaos and confusion. 战斗爆发了，一切都陷入了混乱不堪的状态。 Her unexpected arrival threw us into total confusion. 她的突然到来使得我们不知所措，乱成一团。
Extra ExamplesHis cross caused confusion in the penalty box. 他的传中在罚球区引起了混乱。 The protesters set off smoke bombs to create confusion and panic. 抗议者点燃烟幕弹，制造混乱和恐慌。 He managed to escape in the confusion. 他设法在混乱中逃脱了。 This latest decision has only added to the general confusion. 最近的这个决定只是加剧了总体的混乱。 The local council has been thrown into total confusion by her resignation. 她辞职后，地方议会完全陷入混乱状态。 In the confusion that followed, she managed to slip away unnoticed. 在接下来的混乱中，她设法神不知鬼不觉地溜走了。 Confusion reigned when the two managers gave conflicting instructions. 两位经理给出的指示相互矛盾，一切都乱套了。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- complete
- total
- utter
- …
- avoid
- prevent
- cause
- …
- arise
- reign
- surround something
- …
- in (the) confusion
- confusion about
- confusion over
- …
- a scene of confusion
- a state of confusion
- to avoid confusion
- …
Word OriginMiddle English: from Latin confusio(n-), from the verb confundere ‘mingle together’.