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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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
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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
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
Hazlitt, 11 Dec. 2024
The album confounded some critics upon its release, but was roundly embraced by fans as their favorite artist’s most unguarded statement to date.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 19 Dec. 2024
Strands, our word search puzzle game, has confounded and enthralled solvers.
—New York Times, 18 Dec. 2024
One of these was Dylan’s close friend Pete Seeger, the elder statesman of folk and roots music who’s played in the film by Edward Norton as a kindly patriarch who is confounded by Dylan’s betrayal.
—Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 16 Dec. 2024
The response confounded experts who spoke with ProPublica, who said such an approach misunderstands the long-term nature of his condition.
—Annie Waldman, CNN, 14 Dec. 2024
Wake Forest confounded the Stanford women’s soccer team once again on Friday.
—Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 7 Dec. 2024
And there was always a green salad served with a selection of oil, vinegar, and seasonings so everyone at the table could dress their own (a method that confounded me, the child of a balsamic vinaigrette lover).
—Ellen Fort, Saveur, 3 Oct. 2024
On her debut, Minaj rapped ferociously and sang earnestly – sometimes in the same song – a combination of skills that, coupled with the sparkly beats of Drew Money, Swizz Beatz, and Pop & Oak, confounded those who encountered her on a vibe closer to The Come Up DVD.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 1 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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
The music industry was confounded.
—Hazlitt, 11 Dec. 2024
The album confounded some critics upon its release, but was roundly embraced by fans as their favorite artist’s most unguarded statement to date.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 19 Dec. 2024
Strands, our word search puzzle game, has confounded and enthralled solvers.
—New York Times, 18 Dec. 2024
One of these was Dylan’s close friend Pete Seeger, the elder statesman of folk and roots music who’s played in the film by Edward Norton as a kindly patriarch who is confounded by Dylan’s betrayal.
—Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 16 Dec. 2024
The response confounded experts who spoke with ProPublica, who said such an approach misunderstands the long-term nature of his condition.
—Annie Waldman, CNN, 14 Dec. 2024
Wake Forest confounded the Stanford women’s soccer team once again on Friday.
—Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 7 Dec. 2024
And there was always a green salad served with a selection of oil, vinegar, and seasonings so everyone at the table could dress their own (a method that confounded me, the child of a balsamic vinaigrette lover).
—Ellen Fort, Saveur, 3 Oct. 2024
On her debut, Minaj rapped ferociously and sang earnestly – sometimes in the same song – a combination of skills that, coupled with the sparkly beats of Drew Money, Swizz Beatz, and Pop & Oak, confounded those who encountered her on a vibe closer to The Come Up DVD.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 1 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confounded
Adjective
-
Melding Williams’s hidden racial empathy to Nathanael West’s grotesque sociology (as in The Day of the Locust), the result, though well intended, is what’s called film maudit, a cursed film.—
Armond White,
National Review,
25 June 2025
-
As three people with remote connections to a house try to solve two brutal murders, the story becomes increasingly complicated and implausible, evolving into a fable about a cursed family.—
Pat Tompkins,
AFAR Media,
18 June 2025
Adjective
-
The trade stunned the sport, perplexed rival executives and devastated Bostonians.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
-
But 100 days into the second Trump administration, those leaders are perplexed and concerned.—
Marc Lynch,
Foreign Affairs,
12 May 2025
Adjective
-
There were also problems connecting to the internet and to phone networks, leaving many bewildered and unable to obtain information.—
Catherine Porter,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
-
Tornado is a bewildered Japanese girl (played by pop singer Kôki) who fights off a horde of white men, thieving gold vagabonds who represent both Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Celtic ancestry.—
Armond White,
National Review,
4 June 2025
Verb
-
Many people get confused by these forms which contain code and jargon that rarely offer a clear explanation of anything.—
Steve Weisman,
Forbes,
23 Dec. 2024
-
Many were left confused as to how or why the Yankees couldn't have matched that number to bring the Gold Glove first baseman to the Bronx.—
Gord Magill,
Newsweek,
21 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
There are competing stories that the Los Angeles Angels offered Kim a five-year, $28 million guarantee, but Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register has refuted that report.—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes,
4 Jan. 2025
-
The White House, through White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates, refuted many of the claims the Journal made, insisting that Biden would meet often with his Cabinet members and their teams.—
Gord Magill,
Newsweek,
19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Fans, of course, remain baffled and angry and depressed over the lack of any visible progress on Martin’s sixth A Song Of Ice And Fire novel, The Winds Of Winter.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
-
Delap’s cannon shoulders struck fear into a baffled division, like a medieval army who looked across the battlefield and realised that the opposing forces had technology far beyond theirs.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
In his latest, Minervini brings viewers into the thick of the Civil War, only to find the same dazed souls and gnawing uncertainties that have always been his focus.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
-
The internet, like a dazed prize fighter, wobbles on its last legs before going down.—
Jake Coyle,
Twin Cities,
5 June 2025
Verb
-
Smith unsuccessfully challenged Simpson for his congressional seat in the Republican primaries in 2014 and again in 2022.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
16 Mar. 2025
-
There is the love of Irish and Mexican dance traditions, love challenged by evil sorcerers and family dynamics and the passionate love that ends in tragedy.—
Marcia Luttrell,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confounded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confounded. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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