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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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of confound
This effect is clearly seen in historical GDP data, as the figure below shows, although there are obviously many confounding factors.
—
Michael Lynch, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025
Partisan debate about the evidence often tends to ignore the vast number of confounding factors such as low interest rates, falling number of start-ups, special time periods chosen for the analysis and large number of acquisitions of public firms and the 7% IPO tax.
—Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025
Her recipe included ingredients sure to confound egg and butter die-hards: Applesauce, nondairy milk, apple cider vinegar.
—Will Matsuda, New York Times, 23 May 2025
For Collins, Jeddah airport confounded his expectations of Saudi Arabia.
—Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for confound
Michael Lynch, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025
Partisan debate about the evidence often tends to ignore the vast number of confounding factors such as low interest rates, falling number of start-ups, special time periods chosen for the analysis and large number of acquisitions of public firms and the 7% IPO tax.
—Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025
Her recipe included ingredients sure to confound egg and butter die-hards: Applesauce, nondairy milk, apple cider vinegar.
—Will Matsuda, New York Times, 23 May 2025
For Collins, Jeddah airport confounded his expectations of Saudi Arabia.
—Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for confound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confound
Verb
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The man is Jack Ryan, not to be confused with the Jack Ryan dreamed up by Tom Clancy.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
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And some say they were confused by what their leases said about renters’ insurance, and they were left without coverage.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 June 2025
Verb
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And best of all, no one could possibly be embarrassed by these empathetic words.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2025
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Mavericks 4-2 over Heat (2011): Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs absolutely embarrassed the Heatles.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
Verb
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But DeGeneres ultimately refuted the claims that savaged her career.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
23 June 2025
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Bennett’s opinion directly refuted the argument — made by Assistant Atty.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
Verb
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The stock comeback of the last two months has perplexed many investors, who remain befuddled by the market's insistence to look past conflict, tariffs and major challenges to the economic outlook, to make short work of recovering losses from their April lows.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
20 June 2025
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That wasn't enough to heal Carol's injury, however, leaving her owner perplexed about how to help the pup.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 June 2025
Verb
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The measure is designed to overturn a series of executive orders by Trump, including banning transgender troops in the U.S. military and blocking transgender students from playing on girls’ sports teams.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
21 June 2025
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In May 2025, two people pleaded guilty for their roles in what prosecutors called a plot by Bravo to overturn his conviction.—
Doc Louallen,
ABC News,
20 June 2025
Verb
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Lynskey says she’s been bewildered by the fans who’ve directed online vitriol at Shauna this season, while seemingly forgiving the sins of Shauna’s husband Jeff (Warren Cole) and the heinous crimes committed by Misty (Christina Ricci).—
Todd Longwell,
Variety,
2 June 2025
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Both were bewildered by this fashion design travesty.—
Sherry Kuehl,
Kansas City Star,
13 May 2025
Verb
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Terrible policy Perhaps Gabbard is sounding the alarm to discredit efforts — including a sanctions bill held up in Congress pending a green light from Trump — to pressure Putin into a meaningful negotiation on ending his war.—
Marc Champion,
Mercury News,
13 June 2025
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The irony is that the FTC is blind to the meaning of such substantial investment from Amazon, the very investment that thoroughly discredits the FTC’s case.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
Verb
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But Bird also throws a devastating slider to right-handers and a curveball that can baffle.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
28 June 2025
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The sheriff is as baffled as anyone else, wondering how anyone as recognizable as Roy could disappear in plain sight.—
Dateline NBC,
NBC news,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confound. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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