1
as in to confuse
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
we were confounded by the player's remote control, which wasn't at all user-friendly
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to embarrass
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress
his renewed popularity has confounded the critics who said his singing career was dead
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to conflate
to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related
I think you've confounded astrology with astronomy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to refute
to prove to be false
new discoveries that confound much of what archaeologists thought they knew about the Mayan civilization
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of confound
Intelligence was not measured for all participants, which could confound the results.
—
New Atlas, 26 June 2025
That might seem a confounding question for this club, which aims to be transactional but not reckless and is at once driven to win today and compelled to nurture the future.
—Kansas City Star, 11 July 2025
Los Angeles Kings: This might be a bit of an overreaction to what pretty much everyone has panned as a confounding offseason.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 5 July 2025
In a perhaps confounding twist, shares of Tesla shot up more than 4% in premarket trading following the deliveries release.
—Derek Saul, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for confound
New Atlas, 26 June 2025
That might seem a confounding question for this club, which aims to be transactional but not reckless and is at once driven to win today and compelled to nurture the future.
—Kansas City Star, 11 July 2025
Los Angeles Kings: This might be a bit of an overreaction to what pretty much everyone has panned as a confounding offseason.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 5 July 2025
In a perhaps confounding twist, shares of Tesla shot up more than 4% in premarket trading following the deliveries release.
—Derek Saul, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for confound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confound
Verb
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By 1915, scientists unearthed 2 million bones of large animals from La Brea, and a pattern emerged that both excited and confused them: too many predators.—
Ian Rose,
JSTOR Daily,
23 July 2025
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Two people can deliver the same message, but their delivery style can make the difference between motivating and confusing a team.—
Kendra MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
Verb
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Look, the Yankees didn’t embarrass themselves in a 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on Monday night.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
29 July 2025
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In the aftermath, the mother was angry for a week, accusing him of undermining her authority and embarrassing her in front of their social circle.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 July 2025
Verb
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Bondi also said that although the names of several other high-profile figures were mentioned, the investigators did not find a client list or evidence refuting that Epstein died by suicide.—
Jade Walker,
CNN Money,
24 July 2025
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But Hunter was quick to refute this claim, arguing that at large events where the president is meeting several people, introductions are the norm.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
21 July 2025
Verb
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At the time, I was perplexed and questioned if this was necessary.—
Susan Horava,
Health,
24 June 2025
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Ultimately, the remaining Islanders dumped Jeremiah and Hannah, a controversial move that left viewers at home perplexed as to why this decision was made.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
23 June 2025
Verb
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Later that year, under pressure from the restaurant lobby, the D.C. Council overturned it.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
28 July 2025
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Despite its lack of popularity and the Supreme Court overturning affirmative action in 2023, white women benefited the most from affirmative action, receiving 63% of diversity and inclusion leadership roles over the time period it was administered.—
Julie Kratz,
Forbes.com,
27 July 2025
Verb
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Still, my friends and I, specifically those who were teen-agers or older at the time of 9/11, have been bewildered by the Islamophobia of the moment, which feels especially vintage and plainspoken, not massaged into obfuscatory rhetoric or angling for any greater point.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
13 July 2025
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In the moment, Kyle looked bewildered that the musician had singled him out, smiling with his mouth open in shock.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
20 May 2025
Verb
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This is mainly an effort to discredit and demonize property taxes, which DeSantis wants to abolish or severely curtail in Florida.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
26 July 2025
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Trump’s theory here, juiced by Gabbard, is that Obama used talk of Russian election interference to discredit Trump’s 2016 election win and hobble his first term in office.—
Chris Brennan,
USA Today,
24 July 2025
Verb
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Money terms and concepts continue to baffle people, many of whom are seeking answers through online searches.—
Russ Wiles,
USA Today,
12 July 2025
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Even with the other guys' admonitions not to, under any circumstances, be themselves, Dee and Charlie's improbable success in charming these scions of the Philly upper crust had the guys — and us — both baffled and anxiously awaiting an ugly twist.—
Dennis Perkins,
EW.com,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confound. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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