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
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
New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2025
The case confounded investigators for years, while the case was marred by false confessions, allegations of intimidation, and thousands of tips.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
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
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
But teasing apart why that happens is difficult, because human studies are confounded by so many factors – diet, smoking stress, lifestyle.
—New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2025
The case confounded investigators for years, while the case was marred by false confessions, allegations of intimidation, and thousands of tips.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confounded
Adjective
-
Instead, its gambit is to inflate the interlude chapters from King’s novel, which trace the town’s cursed history with its resident evil and were omitted from Muschietti’s films.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The series follows a Louvre art restorer who uncovers a cursed Mesopotamian mask tied to the storm god Baal Phegor, drawing her into a web of disappearances and dark secrets.—
Ben Croll,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
As Markovic corrected himself, taking back the goal, the cameras cut to the Panthers' head coach Paul Maurice, who was visibly perplexed at the scenario as Devils fans cheered in the background.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
-
One strange phenomenon that has perplexed mathematicians for decades is that, even when friction is minimal, that steady train of gently rolling waves still eventually falls apart and becomes irregular.—
Joseph Howlett,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The scene where ‘80s teen Marty McFly borrows a scooter from a bewildered ‘50s kid and breaks off the handles to make a skateboard is one of the film’s most iconic moments.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Small wonder the performers emerged bewildered.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
He was baffled as if there does not appear to be any point of access for an animal the size of a ground hog.—
Chris McKeown,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
25 Oct. 2025
-
She was baffled by his sudden enterprise.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
French authorities have arrested several suspects after a frantic manhunt for the men who staged a spectacular daytime heist at the Louvre museum that gripped the world and embarrassed the government in Paris.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
-
The Revolution provided a brief scare through a 59th-minute goal from Dor Turgeman, who embarrassed a defender before curling home a spectacular effort, but Inter Miami broke the tie almost immediately after the strike that made the score 2-1.—
Franco Panizo,
Miami Herald,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
One of the higher-ups felt my title Stairway to Heaven would be confused with the 1939 movie of the same name.—
Cameron Crowe,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Netflix’s co-CEOs then confused Wall Street by not slamming the door on a possible bid.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Rosen refuted Palomares’ claim, saying the tugboat captain was reckless and should have been on the lookout for recreational boaters who frequent those waters.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Bovino appeared before Ellis on Tuesday after the plaintiffs accused him of throwing a tear gas canister into a crowd of demonstrators without justification or warning – a characterization DHS has refuted.—
Devan Cole,
CNN Money,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Again, the idea of the freaking Crimson Tide celebrating a win over Vandy is just as bizarre as Vandy being in a big game to begin with.—
Jason Kirk,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Confounded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confounded. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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