1
as in cursed
deserving of one's condemnation or displeasure
that confounded dog chewed up my shoe
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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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
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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
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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
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3
as in confused
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 refuted
to prove to be false
new discoveries that confound much of what archaeologists thought they knew about the Mayan civilization
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of confounded
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
Peter Bart, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
Their offense has the firepower to be among the NFL’s best, yet has left observers confounded through the first two weeks — and through the first half on Sunday.
—Zach Berman, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025
The hosts’ silence on the matter during the next day’s episode only confounded fans more.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
But this observation is confounded because Pepperberg used direct interactive training concurrently with Alex and his colleagues so the effect of learning solely as a third party observer cannot be isolated and specifically examined from these experiments.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 13 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
Lockwood has admired Plath for years; what confounded her was the biographical approach to her work, the terrible death inflecting everything that came before.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
The conundrum of the stock market going down ahead of Jackson Hole confounded me.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2025
In response, God confounded their language and scattered them across the Earth, halting the construction and fragmenting their unity.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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
Streisand was producer, director and star of the groundbreaking Yentl (1983) and confounded even her fans by opting for the role of a young boy.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
Their offense has the firepower to be among the NFL’s best, yet has left observers confounded through the first two weeks — and through the first half on Sunday.
—Zach Berman, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025
The hosts’ silence on the matter during the next day’s episode only confounded fans more.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
But this observation is confounded because Pepperberg used direct interactive training concurrently with Alex and his colleagues so the effect of learning solely as a third party observer cannot be isolated and specifically examined from these experiments.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 13 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
Lockwood has admired Plath for years; what confounded her was the biographical approach to her work, the terrible death inflecting everything that came before.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
The conundrum of the stock market going down ahead of Jackson Hole confounded me.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2025
In response, God confounded their language and scattered them across the Earth, halting the construction and fragmenting their unity.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confounded
Adjective
-
The three cursed housemates were sent to the Exit Room, where their fate would be decided.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Twenty-five years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree forcing the estranged brothers to confront the cursed toy.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Zahn is a master at non-verbal incredulity, and Coach Hudson’s perplexed patience in the face of Chad’s weirdness is never not entertaining.—
Kristen Baldwin,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Another surprise that has long perplexed researchers is those algorithms’ knack for their own, strange kind of creativity.—
Webb Wright,
Wired News,
24 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
William is totally bewildered and frustrated that it’s being sanctioned.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Looking at the Williams in the wrong spot, the crew looked bewildered, while one person signaled Sainz to move on.—
Saajan Jogia,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Fans in the surrounding section can be heard in shock, baffled that the man gave away such a coveted possession.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Zeidman was baffled that Shane had been the first person Brooklyn prosecutors sought to execute.—
John J. Lennon,
Rolling Stone,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Me, a beautiful and clever five-time Emmy-winning writer with a few Wednesday nights free, and The Golden Bachelor, a heartwarming and adorable exploration of women’s second acts with a male doofus at the center who has already embarrassed himself.—
Ali Barthwell,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Of course, some embarrassed me within a sentence or two, and were dispatched quickly.—
Jane Ciabattari
September 25,
Literary Hub,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
By bridging cutting-edge research with accessible, actionable advice, this book fills a critical gap in the menopause conversation — one that has left millions of women confused, underserved and unheard.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Arthur’s confused by his brother’s anger.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
These findings refuted longstanding preconceived beliefs about humans and animals.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The appellate court's decision refuted multiple issues with Avery's arguments.—
Kelli Arseneau,
jsonline.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Some accredited investors have 'no freaking clue' Even investors who already qualify as accredited could welcome, and benefit from, such a test, experts say.—
Stephanie Dhue,
CNBC,
22 Aug. 2025
-
Well, my freaking agent had spoiled it.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confounded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confounded. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
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