1
as in baffling
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 embarrassing
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 confusing
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 refuting
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
as in perplexing
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of confounding
Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 22 Aug. 2025
Mike Jones, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
That sort of effect from what meteorologists call outflow could be a confounding factor as the situation unfolds because existing forecast models don’t re-create it realistically, Gerard says.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 26 Sep. 2025
Here, hot weather is the confounding variable leading to both outcomes.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 23 Sep. 2025
This provided a simple way to skirt confounding variables, such as genetics and environmental factors, to which siblings would have similar exposure.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2025
And a truly confounding TV experience.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 22 Sep. 2025
And yet, the discovery represents a confounding moment.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
Yet, Melania also has a habit of confounding fashion-watchers.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
Such thematic complications present themselves, though in a confounding order, with unreliable consistency.
—Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
Tuesday will go down as one of Boston’s most confounding losses of the season, a 4-3 defeat in 11 innings to the Baltimore Orioles in which the club went 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Blown coverages and confounding miscommunications ran rampant.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
That sort of effect from what meteorologists call outflow could be a confounding factor as the situation unfolds because existing forecast models don’t re-create it realistically, Gerard says.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 26 Sep. 2025
Here, hot weather is the confounding variable leading to both outcomes.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 23 Sep. 2025
This provided a simple way to skirt confounding variables, such as genetics and environmental factors, to which siblings would have similar exposure.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2025
And a truly confounding TV experience.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 22 Sep. 2025
And yet, the discovery represents a confounding moment.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
Yet, Melania also has a habit of confounding fashion-watchers.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
Such thematic complications present themselves, though in a confounding order, with unreliable consistency.
—Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confounding
Verb
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In May, Kennedy vowed to find what caused autism by September, baffling scientists who near-unanimously believe there is no one cause of the condition.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
22 Sep. 2025
-
This is stuttering, crashing and other issues, even on high-end hardware way above recommended specs, which is baffling some.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That behavior is embarrassing anywhere, and goes against all of golf etiquette.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
30 Sep. 2025
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That wasn't Carey's first time embarrassing her children.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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CarShield has received positive comments for its breadth of coverage and quick response times, although some policyholders have complained about claim denials, fine-print surprises and confusing sales practices.—
Brian Sloan,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
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The merger will divide Elon, confusing prospective and current students.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Health experts and medical organizations are refuting claims of a link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism.—
Beth Warren,
Nashville Tennessean,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Barrett himself previously addressed the rumors surrounding his time off, refuting any suggestion that he had been removed from his position.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The phenomenon is called seasonal asynchrony, and a new study finds these perplexing locations appear in tropical mountains of countries like Costa Rica as well as places like California that have Mediterranean climates.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
22 Sep. 2025
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The Quiz In one of the more perplexing acquisitions this year, early 2000s music sharing platform LimeWire acquired the rights to the infamous Fyre Festival in an auction this week.—
Maggie McGrath,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The observations detected a puzzling event as the planet transitioned from a steady accretion rate in April and May to a burst of growth between June and August.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
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These include one in which Arthur sports a full beard, a puzzling image given that Arthur has only a mustache.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Everyone needs a break from the day-to-day but trying to take a trip to get away on a budget can be challenging.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
1 Oct. 2025
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Since debuting in 2019’s Honey Boy, Twigs seems drawn to challenging characters within an ensemble.—
Shirley Halperin,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Over the course of a few hours in Washington on Tuesday, the increasingly muddled state of public health unfolded.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
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This is an impossible task – partly due to Trump’s own muddled thinking – but most importantly, because Putin does not want peace.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confounding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confounding. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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