confound

verb

con·​found kən-ˈfau̇nd How to pronounce confound (audio)
kän-
confounded; confounding; confounds

transitive verb

1
: to throw (a person) into confusion or perplexity
tactics to confound the enemy
2
a
: refute
sought to confound his arguments
b
: to put to shame : discomfit
a performance that confounded the critics
3
: damn
4
a
: to fail to discern differences between : mix up
They implored Charles not to confound the innocent with the guilty …T. B. Macaulay
b
: to increase the confusion of
5
a
: baffle, frustrate
Conferences … are not for accomplishment but to confound knavish tricks.John Kenneth Galbraith
b
archaic : to bring to ruin : destroy
6
obsolete : consume, waste
confounder noun
confoundingly adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for confound

puzzle, perplex, bewilder, distract, nonplus, confound, dumbfound mean to baffle and disturb mentally.

puzzle implies existence of a problem difficult to solve.

the persistent fever puzzled the doctor

perplex adds a suggestion of worry and uncertainty especially about making a necessary decision.

a behavior that perplexed her friends

bewilder stresses a confusion of mind that hampers clear and decisive thinking.

a bewildering number of possibilities

distract implies agitation or uncertainty induced by conflicting preoccupations or interests.

distracted by personal problems

nonplus implies a bafflement that makes orderly planning or deciding impossible.

the remark left us utterly nonplussed

confound implies temporary mental paralysis caused by astonishment or profound abasement.

the tragic news confounded us all

dumbfound suggests intense but momentary confounding; often the idea of astonishment is so stressed that it becomes a near synonym of astound.

was at first too dumbfounded to reply

Examples of confound in a Sentence

The strategy confounded our opponents. The murder case has confounded investigators. The school's team confounded all predictions and won the game. The success of the show confounded critics.
Recent Examples on the Web Everett’s fiction frequently mystifies critics, who excuse their mystification by describing his work as confounding. Maya Binyam, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 The resulting film — hot on the heels of the ever-disturbing Dogtooth — is confounding and deeply uncomfortable, with Lanthimos once again flexing his ability to turn intimacy on its head (and leave you scratching yours). Allaire Nuss, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2024 But nature breaks rules all the time, and the latest animals to confound the yolk vs. milk binary are caecilians, the egg-laying, legless amphibians that look like worms. Sofia Quaglia, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 For 30 years, the montage for the recently deceased has touched, confounded and angered just about everyone March 5, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024 That’s confounding some in the restaurant industry. Samantha Delouya, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 Loch Raven used a series of traps and half-court defenses to confound the Perry Hall offense. Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 16 Feb. 2024 For years, scientists didn’t realize that macaques, unlike humans, were not orally susceptible to the virus, a misapprehension that for a long time threw off their understanding of the disease’s pathway and confounded efforts. Erika Fry, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2024 Years after Trump ascended to political power and started drowning the political discourse in dangerous lies and conspiracy theories, news executives remain confounded on the most effective approach to combat the deceit. Oliver Darcy, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'confound.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English confounden "to defeat, destroy, frustrate, bewilder," borrowed from Anglo-French confondre, going back to Latin confundere "to pour together, blend, bring into disorder, destroy, disconcert," from con- con- + fundere "to pour, shed" — more at found entry 5

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5b

Time Traveler
The first known use of confound was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near confound

Cite this Entry

“Confound.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confound. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

confound

verb
con·​found kən-ˈfau̇nd How to pronounce confound (audio)
kän-
1
2
: to throw into disorder : mix up : confuse
our clever tactics confounded our opponents
confoundedly adverb

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