1
as in cursed
deserving of one's condemnation or displeasure
that confounded dog chewed up my shoe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in perplexed
faced with difficulty or uncertainty about what to say, think, or do
the sudden burden of familial responsibility has left him anxious and confounded
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in bewildered
suffering from mental confusion
since their house is old and impressive-looking, they are frequently imposed upon by confounded tourists
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in baffled
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 & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in embarrassed
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 confused
to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related
I think you've confounded astrology with astronomy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in refuted
to prove to be false
new discoveries that confound much of what archaeologists thought they knew about the Mayan civilization
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of confounded
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
The Vikings defense hounded Maye, a veteran unit that ranked second in takeaways last year and confounded veteran quarterbacks with its exotic pressure packages.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025
The displeasure of it gave way to absurdity, out of which emerged a mutual, confounded glee.
—Kent Russell, Harper's Magazine, 15 Sep. 2020
In Europe itself, Greece has so far confounded predictions by avoiding the kind of mass outbreaks that have claimed tens of thousands of lives in Italy, France, and Britain.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 May 2020
And with wild swings on Tuesday, the markets proved those predictions correct, a marker of how confounded investors appear as the covid-19 economic crisis takes a fuller form.
—Jacob Bogage, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Mar. 2020
The Germans are no less confounded than the Democrats.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 14 June 2019
Learn how to work the confounded thing at free Android smartphone workshops being held in South Florida, sponsored by the American Association of Retired Persons.
—Doreen Christensen, Sun-Sentinel.com, 9 Mar. 2018
For decades, recovery stories like this confounded researchers, who characterized autism as a lifelong condition.
—Brendan Borrell, Slate Magazine, 22 Sep. 2017
Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Philly starter Jesus Luzardo confounded Colorado for 6 2/3 innings, striking out 11 and walking none.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026
The Vanderbilt product confounded Reds batters, inducing 18 swings and misses while only giving up one run and four hits in five innings with nine strikeouts.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2026
The finding provides a long‑sought explanation for a bizarre quirk in the parasite’s biology that has confounded scientists for 40 years.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Two years later, and Sunak has confounded the sceptics.
—Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026
Specifically, Archaeology News continues, that aquatic organisms living in hard water can absorb carbon, which contributed to the older dates, which confounded archaeologists for years.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 21 Feb. 2026
The story has confounded investigators, at least as far as is publicly known.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 16 Feb. 2026
The administration’s apparent fixation on Denmark has confounded members of Congress, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle questioning why HHS is modeling its policies after the Scandinavian country.
—Joseph Choi, The Hill, 12 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Dosunmu operated at times like a one-man wrecking crew, forcing his way downhill in the half court and cracking open the Heat’s confounded defense in the flow of transition.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
The Vikings defense hounded Maye, a veteran unit that ranked second in takeaways last year and confounded veteran quarterbacks with its exotic pressure packages.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025
The displeasure of it gave way to absurdity, out of which emerged a mutual, confounded glee.
—Kent Russell, Harper's Magazine, 15 Sep. 2020
In Europe itself, Greece has so far confounded predictions by avoiding the kind of mass outbreaks that have claimed tens of thousands of lives in Italy, France, and Britain.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 May 2020
And with wild swings on Tuesday, the markets proved those predictions correct, a marker of how confounded investors appear as the covid-19 economic crisis takes a fuller form.
—Jacob Bogage, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Mar. 2020
The Germans are no less confounded than the Democrats.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 14 June 2019
Learn how to work the confounded thing at free Android smartphone workshops being held in South Florida, sponsored by the American Association of Retired Persons.
—Doreen Christensen, Sun-Sentinel.com, 9 Mar. 2018
For decades, recovery stories like this confounded researchers, who characterized autism as a lifelong condition.
—Brendan Borrell, Slate Magazine, 22 Sep. 2017
Verb
Cold case for years Perez’s case had confounded cold case investigators for years.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Philly starter Jesus Luzardo confounded Colorado for 6 2/3 innings, striking out 11 and walking none.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026
The Vanderbilt product confounded Reds batters, inducing 18 swings and misses while only giving up one run and four hits in five innings with nine strikeouts.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2026
The finding provides a long‑sought explanation for a bizarre quirk in the parasite’s biology that has confounded scientists for 40 years.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Two years later, and Sunak has confounded the sceptics.
—Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026
Specifically, Archaeology News continues, that aquatic organisms living in hard water can absorb carbon, which contributed to the older dates, which confounded archaeologists for years.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 21 Feb. 2026
The story has confounded investigators, at least as far as is publicly known.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 16 Feb. 2026
The administration’s apparent fixation on Denmark has confounded members of Congress, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle questioning why HHS is modeling its policies after the Scandinavian country.
—Joseph Choi, The Hill, 12 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confounded
Adjective
-
In the nearly 50 years since it was released, Faces of Death has become something of a cursed object, the kind of movie that gets traded around on old VHS tapes and spoken about in hushed tones on playgrounds and in video stores.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Daniel Bernhardt is Deathstalker, a legendary swordsman stuck with a cursed amulet who befriends swamp monsters and teams with a mini wizard (voiced by Patton Oswalt) to stop a dark magic from ruling the land.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Even Ohtani seemed perplexed by the break on McLean’s sweeper.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Levy masters one hilarious perplexed comedic reaction after another as Nicky, a closeted pastor with a zany, highly dysfunctional family.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
This sometimes left audience members bewildered about what had actually happened.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The passenger in the back eventually looked up from her phone, noticed Louise, and locked eyes with this bewildered-looking woman blocking the crosswalk.—
Catherine Lacey,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Government officials, who had already introduced measures to ease the burden of price rises a few weeks ago, were baffled over the rationale behind the protests because the global price spike is due to the Middle East conflict that restricted oil exports.—
Brian Melley,
Fortune,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Government officials, who had already introduced measures to ease the burden of price increases two weeks ago, have been baffled over the rationale behind the protests because the global price spike is due to the conflict in the Mideast that has restricted oil exports.—
Brian Melley,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And, as if embarrassed by the whole business, the show will do something crazy to blast the tear from your eye.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Wilzig told the Miami Herald in a 2002 profile that intercourse and naked bodies were beautiful and natural, and no one should be embarrassed by talking about the topic.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The south London BBQers were confused.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Microphones are a tool for speaking out loud, or singing, before a crowd, and Lee uses the object as a symbol of her own desire to speak and be understood, even when she is confused by competing cultures and unsure of her own voice.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In both cases, video evidence later refuted those claims.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The Nikkei story was later refuted by Bloomberg, which reported the foldable iPhone model is still on track for a September launch, citing people with knowledge of the matter.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
To have to come and be in this particular bracket every freaking year is unacceptable.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Pair the fuzzy crewneck top and subtle kick-flare pants with chic platform sneakers or breathable, on-trend Mary Janes (this pair from Rothy’s is so freaking comfortable).—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Confounded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confounded. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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