muddle
verb
[ ˈmʌd(ə)l ]
• bring into a disordered or confusing state.
• "I fear he may have muddled the message"
Similar:
confuse,
mix up,
jumble,
jumble up,
disarrange,
disorganize,
disorder,
disturb,
throw into disorder,
get into a tangle,
scramble,
mess up,
jumbled,
in a jumble,
in a muddle,
in a mess,
chaotic,
in disorder,
in disarray,
topsy-turvy,
disorganized,
disordered,
disorderly,
out of place,
out of order,
mixed up,
upside-down,
at sixes and sevens,
untidy,
messy,
scrambled,
tangled,
higgledy-piggledy,
Opposite:
be in (good) order,
orderly,
• mix (a drink) or stir (an ingredient) into a drink.
• "muddle the kiwi slices with the sugar"
muddle
noun
• an untidy and disorganized state or collection.
• "the finances were in a muddle"
Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense ‘wallow in mud’): perhaps from Middle Dutch moddelen, frequentative of modden ‘dabble in mud’; compare with mud. The sense ‘confuse’ was initially associated with alcoholic drink (late 17th century), giving rise to ‘busy oneself in a confused way’ and ‘jumble up’ (mid 19th century).
