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
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
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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
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
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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
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
-
Related Stories Pandora’s Box conceals the names of cursed contestants – marking them for elimination and setting the stakes for survival – as players battle to keep their names out of the Box.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Annie was the second person sent out of the game after her cursed Kele tribe lost their fifth straight team or individual competition.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Oct. 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
-
As Friday’s stabbing incident involving NFL alum Mark Sanchez slowly comes into focus, the team at Fox Sports seems to be just as bewildered as the rest of us.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Hair disheveled, a dazed and bewildered look in his eyes, the coach trudged into his own dressing room to regroup and get a rundown of a growing list of injuries.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But the rhetoric has baffled Democrats, who see ER payments as effective and noncontroversial and are unwilling to disavow it.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
2 Oct. 2025
-
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
Verb
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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
-
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
Verb
-
Lethargic and confused in their play.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Oxygen bleach soaks—Oxygen bleach (not to be confused with chlorine bleach) is a gentle yet powerful whitening agent.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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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 10 Oct. 2025.
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