1
as in to confuse
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to embarrass
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 to conflate
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 to refute
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 confound
One confounding factor comes from two other LG galaxies: M33, a satellite galaxy, and the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC).
—
Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 3 June 2025
Second, the researchers in the present study controlled for many confounding health variables.
—New Atlas, 24 June 2025
Moscow has confounded Western expectations that severe sanctions would wreck the country’s economy and has instead enjoyed a couple of years of high growth.
—Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs, 18 June 2025
The offerings confounded college hitters, and minor-league batters haven’t fared much better.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for confound
Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 3 June 2025
Second, the researchers in the present study controlled for many confounding health variables.
—New Atlas, 24 June 2025
Moscow has confounded Western expectations that severe sanctions would wreck the country’s economy and has instead enjoyed a couple of years of high growth.
—Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs, 18 June 2025
The offerings confounded college hitters, and minor-league batters haven’t fared much better.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for confound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confound
Verb
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Amazon $650 Samsung $650 Best Buy Not to be confused with the Galaxy S24 series, this midrange smartphone from late 2024 has some elements of the flagship phone, but makes some sacrifices to get the price down.—
Simon Hill,
Wired News,
11 July 2025
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O’Brien says his critics might be confused because of the novelty of his approach.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
10 July 2025
Verb
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SoCal embarrassed the Jekyll & Hyde Utah team, who were flying how but who lose easily to the near-last place Hard Eights for their only win of the weekend.—
Todd Boss,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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Such an attack might embarrass Trump and spur him to make good on his threat in his address to the nation on Saturday evening to respond to Iran with even greater force.—
Uri Friedman,
The Atlantic,
23 June 2025
Verb
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The story included statements from Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel refuting the premise, but not Bongino.—
Eric Tucker,
Chicago Tribune,
11 July 2025
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The memo also concluded that Epstein died by suicide, refuting other claims that there was foul play behind his 2019 death in prison.—
Sarah Fortinsky,
The Hill,
10 July 2025
Verb
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Through the years, dozens of actresses have portrayed Superman's love interest and confidante Lois Lane, an award-winning reporter both perplexed and entranced by the man also (secretly) known as Clark Kent.—
Grace Gavilanes,
People.com,
11 July 2025
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The aftermath What perplexes her, Nicole Fech said, is that Anderson went out of her way to call the camp a year and a half after the family left the church.—
Alexandra Kukulka,
Chicago Tribune,
9 July 2025
Verb
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But the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that decision last year.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
1 July 2025
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The bill, which Gov. Mike Kehoe is expected to sign and would begin Aug. 28, would overturn sick leave provisions included in a ballot measure that Missouri voters approved last year.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
1 July 2025
Verb
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Lynskey says she’s been bewildered by the fans who’ve directed online vitriol at Shauna this season, while seemingly forgiving the sins of Shauna’s husband Jeff (Warren Cole) and the heinous crimes committed by Misty (Christina Ricci).—
Todd Longwell,
Variety,
2 June 2025
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Both were bewildered by this fashion design travesty.—
Sherry Kuehl,
Kansas City Star,
13 May 2025
Verb
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That terrifying consequence alone is sufficient to discredit the executive order.—
Bruce Fein,
Baltimore Sun,
30 June 2025
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And for that, I was met with silence, deflection, and efforts to discredit me.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
25 June 2025
Verb
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But Bird also throws a devastating slider to right-handers and a curveball that can baffle.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
28 June 2025
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The topic, added late to the ACIP agenda and without much detail, has baffled some vaccine experts.—
Liz Neporent,
ABC News,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confound. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
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