Synonyms of confounded

confounded 1 of 2

adjective

kən-ˈfau̇n-dəd 

1

as in cursed

deserving of one's condemnation or displeasure

that confounded dog chewed up my shoe

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cursed
• freaking
• blasted
• terrible
• awful
• accursed
• rotten
• damnable
• infernal
• darned
• wretched
• darn
• dang
• deuced
• cussed
• pitiful
• danged
• doggone
• detestable
• nasty
• atrocious
• sorry
• odious
• abominable
• miserable
• lousy
• execrable
• bum
• vile
• shameful
• contemptible
• pitiable
• punk
• despicable
• scurvy
• scabby
• scummy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• commendable
• creditable
• great
• wonderful
• laudable
• marvelous
• praiseworthy

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

• perplexed
• baffled
• bewildered
• embarrassed
• at a loss
• nonplussed
• put to it
• flustered
• confused
• hard put
• hard-pressed
• disconcerted
• fazed
• put out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• undaunted
• composed
• unfazed
• untroubled

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

• bewildered
• confused
• dazed
• stunned
• distracted
• dizzy
• bemused
• befuddled
• silly
• out of it
• bedeviled
• stupefied
• muddleheaded
• fogged
• mixed-up
• at sea
• raddled
• addled
• dopey
• befogged
• punch-drunk
• shell-shocked
• pixilated
• punchy
• slaphappy
• addle
• spacey
• unconscious
• muzzy
• bushed
• zonked-out
• zonked
• addlepated
• spaced-out
• senseless

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• conscious
• alert
• clearheaded

confounded

2 of 2

verb

past tense of confound

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

• baffled
• puzzled
• perplexed
• confused
• bewildered
• vexed
• befuddled
• mystified
• embarrassed
• flummoxed
• stunned
• disturbed
• rattled
• bamboozled
• disoriented
• bemused
• muddled
• discombobulated
• flustered
• bothered
• posed
• fuddled
• muddied
• addled
• upset
• mazed
• foxed
• befogged
• buffaloed
• got
• graveled
• beat
• unsettled
• stumped
• disconcerted
• nonplussed
• stuck
• discomfited
• mortified
• blew one's mind
• dismayed
• distressed
• agitated
• perturbed
• abashed
• disquieted
• went to one's head
• deceived
• weirded out
• chagrined
• fazed
• misled
• discomforted
• discountenanced
• discomposed
• fooled
• deluded
• unhinged
• beguiled
• misguided
• tricked
• duped
• hoodwinked
• humbugged
• cozened
• strung along
• gulled
• snowed
• hoaxed
• took in

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• satisfied
• assured
• informed
• reassured
• enlightened

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

• embarrassed
• confused
• flustered
• rattled
• disconcerted
• disturbed
• nonplussed
• mortified
• bothered
• upset
• unsettled
• abashed
• discomfited
• fazed
• humiliated
• perturbed
• dismayed
• distressed
• discountenanced
• disquieted
• chagrined
• agitated
• unhinged
• humbled
• discomforted
• shamed
• put off
• discomposed
• degraded
• debased
• demeaned
• put out
• queered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• relieved
• comforted
• calmed
• consoled
• soothed
• encouraged
• cheered
• assured
• reassured
• emboldened
• buoyed
• heartened

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

• confused
• conflated
• mistook
• mixed (up)
• misapplied
• lumped (together)
• misidentified
• miscalled
• misnamed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• separated
• distinguished
• differentiated
• discriminated
• differenced

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

• refuted
• challenged
• overturned
• discredited
• disproved
• rebutted
• confuted
• falsified
• belied
• discussed
• questioned
• shot down
• debunked
• disconfirmed
• doubted
• contested
• mistrusted
• overthrew
• debated
• gave the lie to
• queried
• mooted
• talked over
• hashed (over)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• established
• proved
• confirmed
• showed
• verified
• recorded
• validated
• supported
• evidenced
• documented
• witnessed
• identified
• evinced
• backed (up)
• demonstrated
• manifested
• corroborated
• displayed
• certified
• illustrated
• attested
• buttressed
• adduced
• substantiated
• authenticated

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of confounded

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

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 Wright is also noticing plenty of empty seats on the flights she’s been considering and is confounded by the high prices. — Marnie Hunter, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2026

Lisa, an engineer who worked on Roman's team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland and wished to be identified by an alias, was left confounded at the time. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 27 Aug. 2026

South Carolina’s Democrats, who have not won statewide office since 2006, are also confounded. — Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026

The effort is unlikely to result in a major political shift in Missouri, a reliably red state that has confounded both political strategists and lawmakers with its progressive votes on ballot measures. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026

Curbasi's next task could be trying to stop Messi, who confounded foes with his goal-scoring in the group stage. — Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

The factors that had confounded such efforts remained in force and had worsened. — Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026

The theme of the Platner campaign became don’t believe these women until Monday, when a detailed and credible accusation of rape confounded the excuse makers beyond their considerable power to slime women who had stories to tell about Platner. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 11 July 2026

This vast landscape confounded its first European explorers, who battled dehydration and disorientation in the days of Australian colonization—though the Yinyila Nation lived in this region for at least 30,000 years. — Justin Meneguzzi, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026