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
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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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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of confound
Again, all of this confounds traditional attempts at sense making.
—
Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
The wire transfer to seal the deal never went through, Spin CEO Jimmy Hutcheson says, a move that confounded the management team at the publisher as the window to close expired.
—Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
But later, the suspect, who is facing trial for murder and other crimes, provided a set of confounding explanations.
—Ernesto Londoño, Twin Cities, 1 Sep. 2025
Questions have long swirled as to how Epstein managed to leave behind an estate valued at close to $600 million given his confounding job history.
—Chris Spargo, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for confound
Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
The wire transfer to seal the deal never went through, Spin CEO Jimmy Hutcheson says, a move that confounded the management team at the publisher as the window to close expired.
—Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
But later, the suspect, who is facing trial for murder and other crimes, provided a set of confounding explanations.
—Ernesto Londoño, Twin Cities, 1 Sep. 2025
Questions have long swirled as to how Epstein managed to leave behind an estate valued at close to $600 million given his confounding job history.
—Chris Spargo, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for confound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confound
Verb
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Yes, God confuses the language and scatters everyone, thereby creating linguistic and cultural diversity.—
John Fugelsang
September 12,
Literary Hub,
12 Sep. 2025
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At one point, O’Steen was confused by a question, and the resulting back-and-forth was reminiscent of an Abbott and Costello repartee.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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We wouldn’t be embarrassed by it, nor would the audience.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
12 Sep. 2025
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What People Are Saying Maritime analysts have weighed in on the nature reserve declaration, with some linking it to the August 11 collision that embarrassed Beijing.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Szymon Laks, conductor of one of several male orchestras at Auschwitz-Birkenau, vehemently refuted the notion that music was helpful to anyone in the camp.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Sep. 2025
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Ghana’s officials refuted the claims of the lawyers, saying the individuals were returned to their home nations.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For nearly 20 years, astronomers have been perplexed by the strange disk of dust and debris circling Fomalhaut, a bright star just 25 light-years from Earth.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Sep. 2025
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Many historians have been perplexed by how such a seemingly simple man as Shakespeare could have written works of such grandeur and depth.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The outcomes for detainees who have been housed at the facility have taken on new significance after an appeals court overturned that earlier ruling, allowing the facility to resume operations.—
Ben Wieder,
Miami Herald,
15 Sep. 2025
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Now 64, Hernandez had been serving his sentence until the recent appeals court decision overturning his conviction in July.—
Adeola Adeosun
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And aren’t our real-life romantic complications bewildering enough?—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
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Its ginormous investments in higher-value, tech-heavy sectors from smartphones to autos to semiconductors to biotechnology are disrupting the global landscape at bewildering speed.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Holmes likewise discredited the MS-13 accusation, for which prosecutors relied on the testimony of coöperating witnesses who either contradicted one another or were otherwise unreliable.—
Cristian Farias,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
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The Cordell report has since been discredited — missing transcripts, factual errors and even confusion of key witnesses.—
Matthew J. Frauenfeld,
Mercury News,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The result is a set of policies that has baffled some China experts, or at least raised questions about the president’s stance on America’s friendly rival.—
Christian Datoc,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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In the last few years, researchers have stumbled upon baffling signals from deep space, uncovered strange features hiding beneath our oceans, and found clues that hint at life’s secrets on other worlds.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confound. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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