confuso

Confuso is an adjective used in several Romance languages, most notably Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. It derives from Latin confusus, the past participle of confundere, meaning to mix together or to confuse. In its modern senses, confuso describes something muddled, unclear, or perplexing, as well as a state of mind in which someone feels confused.

In Italian, confuso agrees with gender and number: confuso (masc sing), confusa (fem sing), confusi (masc plur), confuse (fem plur). It is commonly applied to both people and things, for example in phrases such as una spiegazione confusa (a confusing explanation) or sono confuso (I am confused).

In Spanish and Portuguese, the forms confuso and confusa function similarly to indicate lack of clarity or perplexity. They are used to describe situations, documents, remarks, or perceptions that are not clear or are difficult to interpret. As with many adjectives in these languages, the feminine form is confusa and the plural forms are confusos or confusas, depending on the language.

Usage notes: confuso conveys a sense of muddiness or ambiguity rather than simple ignorance; it may describe sensory impressions, texts, or events that are difficult to follow. It is possible to encounter close variants or synonyms in each language, such as “confundido” in Spanish or “confuso” in Portuguese for certain contexts, where nuance shifts toward mental state versus object quality.

See also: confusion, confuse, confundirse (Spanish), confundirse with its reflexive sense, and the Latin root confundere.