Confusing Words: Defuse (verb) and Diffuse (adjective/verb)
Meaning:
Defuse (reduce the danger or tension in (a difficult situation).)
Diffuse (spread or cause to spread over a wide area or among a large number of people.)
Defuse vs Diffuse Clarification: The two words are homophones with different meaning and can not be used interchangeably.
Defuse vs. Diffuse – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?
In English vocabulary, homophones are a set of words that sound same but they are different in terms of meaning and function. These kinds of words can cause a lot of confusion among writers. Mixing them up can confuse the readers.
Defuse and diffuse are very close to homophones. If you speak these words together and quickly, they will pronounce similar. However, they are quite different from each other in terms of meaning and function. Let us check out their definitions with examples one by one.
Defuse
Defuse is used as a verb within a sentence. It means to reduce or to remove a tension or something like a difficult situation. It can be synonymous with disarm, calm, disable, etc.
For example,
1. They called the whole department to defuse the bomb.
2. There started uneasiness so; she defused the difficult situation by starting a peaceful conversation.
3. The quickest way to defuse fear or insecurity or anger is usually humor. I think comics figure that out quickly, and, once you figure it out, you think, ‘Hey if I can do this and get paid, that would be kind of cool. (Billy Gardell)
Diffuse
Diffuse is used as an adjective or a verb within a sentence. As an adjective, it means scattered outward to over a large area. It can also mean ‘not concentrated’.
For example,
1. Sorry, I can’t get you. Your message is quite diffuse.
2. You will need some time to make this business great and diffuse.
As a verb, diffuse is synonymous with scatter, disseminate, spread, or disperse. It means to scatter or to spread outward to over a large area.
For example,
1. He advised everyone to put the shades over the bulbs to diffuse the light.
2. It is the mission of the printer to diffuse light and knowledge by a judicious intermingling of black with white. (Frederick Douglass)
Check Out: Difference Between Disc and Disk.
What Did You Learn?
Defuse and diffuse are quite near to homophones. They are not interchangeable. They are different in terms of meaning and function within sentences.
Defuse: It is used as a verb, which means to remove tension from a difficult situation.
Diffuse: It means (as a verb) to scatter outward or (as an adjective) it means scattered outward or not concentrated.