confound

1 to throw into a state of mental uncertainty we were confounded by the player's remote control, which wasn't at all user-friendly Synonyms addle, baffle, bamboozle, beat, befog, befuddle, bemuse, bewilder, buffalo, confuse, discombobulate, disorient, flummox, fox, fuddle, get, gravel, maze, muddle, muddy, mystify, perplex, pose, puzzle, vexRelated Words stick, stump, weird out; abash, discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, embarrass, faze, fluster, mortify, nonplus, rattle; agitate, bother, chagrin, discomfort, discompose, dismay, disquiet, distress, disturb, perturb, stun, unhinge, unsettle, upset; beguile, cozen, deceive, delude, dupe, fool, gull, hoax, hoodwink, humbug, misguide, mislead, snow, string along, take in, trickNear Antonyms assure, reassure, satisfy; enlighten, inform

2 to throw into a state of self-conscious distress his renewed popularity has confounded the critics who said his singing career was dead Synonyms abash, embarrass, confuse, discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, faze, fluster, mortify, nonplus, rattleRelated Words agitate, bother, chagrin, discomfort, discompose, dismay, disquiet, distress, disturb, perturb, put off, put out, unhinge, unsettle, upset; debase, degrade, demean, humble, humiliate, queer, shameNear Antonyms calm, comfort, console, relieve, soothe; buoy, cheer, embolden, encourage, hearten; assure, reassure

3 to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related I think you've confounded astrology with astronomy Synonyms conflate, confuse, mistake, mix (up)Related Words lump (together); misapply, miscall, misidentify, misnameAntonyms difference, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, separate

4 to prove to be false new discoveries that confound much of what archaeologists thought they knew about the Mayan civilization Synonyms belie, disprove, confute, debunk, disconfirm, discredit, falsify, rebut, refute, shoot downRelated Words overthrow, overturn; challenge, contest, query, question; doubt, mistrust; debate, discuss, hash (over), moot, talk overNear Antonyms document, evidence, evince, record, show, support, witness; back (up), buttress, corroborate, substantiate; adduce, attest, authenticate, certify, identify; demonstrate, display, illustrate, manifestAntonyms confirm, establish, prove, validate, verify