as in perplexing
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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
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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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of confounding
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026
In 2021, one year into D’Amaro’s tenure and following COVID shutdowns, Disney did away with FastPass and introduced a confounding and very costly series of pay-to-skip passes, which require timing advanced booking of limited slots in these formerly free-to-enter shorter lines.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 5 Feb. 2026
The Eagles were a confounding defending champion throughout the regular season.
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
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
Ben Smith, semafor.com, 20 Apr. 2026
However, future data on the impact of minimum wages on a state’s economy may be hard to calculate given the confounding impacts of other policy changes, Reich said.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
So far, the city, like the rest of the country, has had a way of confounding them and marching on.
—Mina Al-Oraibi, Time, 14 Apr. 2026
But just a few years later, the sharks started disappearing, confounding scientists and conservationists.
—Michael H Gavshon, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
Fertility fell to a record low last year, confounding efforts to shore it up.
—Daniel Moss, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026
Those coming of age in the 1990s embraced grunge over disco, others in the aughts traded a Discman for an iPod and youth of today are now confounding everyone by gobbling up physical media and buying secondhand clothes.
—Matt Degen, AJC.com, 10 Apr. 2026
But the texts of these new laws—which are heavily predicated on a kidfluencer’s willingness to sue his or her own parents—are at turns vague, confounding, and possibly toothless.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
The president spent much of his confounding talk, little more than a collection of soundbites, really, on the glories of his limited accomplishments these past few weeks.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Grief is one of the most confounding aspects of the human experience.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026
In 2021, one year into D’Amaro’s tenure and following COVID shutdowns, Disney did away with FastPass and introduced a confounding and very costly series of pay-to-skip passes, which require timing advanced booking of limited slots in these formerly free-to-enter shorter lines.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 5 Feb. 2026
The Eagles were a confounding defending champion throughout the regular season.
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
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
Verb
Unlike similar global gatherings, Semafor World Economy is first of all a festival of news, rooted in the revelatory power of good journalism, so our reporters and guest moderators asked challenging questions and hard follow-ups in the hope of understanding how leaders see this confounding moment.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 20 Apr. 2026
However, future data on the impact of minimum wages on a state’s economy may be hard to calculate given the confounding impacts of other policy changes, Reich said.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
So far, the city, like the rest of the country, has had a way of confounding them and marching on.
—Mina Al-Oraibi, Time, 14 Apr. 2026
But just a few years later, the sharks started disappearing, confounding scientists and conservationists.
—Michael H Gavshon, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
Fertility fell to a record low last year, confounding efforts to shore it up.
—Daniel Moss, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026
Those coming of age in the 1990s embraced grunge over disco, others in the aughts traded a Discman for an iPod and youth of today are now confounding everyone by gobbling up physical media and buying secondhand clothes.
—Matt Degen, AJC.com, 10 Apr. 2026
But the texts of these new laws—which are heavily predicated on a kidfluencer’s willingness to sue his or her own parents—are at turns vague, confounding, and possibly toothless.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
The president spent much of his confounding talk, little more than a collection of soundbites, really, on the glories of his limited accomplishments these past few weeks.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confounding
Adjective
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Perhaps the most perplexing part of the Nancy Guthrie investigation for the general public has been the lack of information.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
14 Apr. 2026
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But as the adorable pair get acclimated to life in the nest, they've been observed doing some perplexing – perhaps even seemingly concerning – behavior.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As the castle’s internal order collapses under the weight of a string of baffling crimes, Araki strikes a fragile alliance with Kuroda Kanbei – a razor-minded captive languishing in his own dungeon – in a race to root out a traitor before Oda’s army closes in.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2026
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This inversion explains a host of baffling political and cultural phenomena of late.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This risks embarrassing them if it is damaged and there is nothing that can be done about it.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
9 Apr. 2026
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And when that happens, Jamahl Mosley — a good coach and an even better man — will be the fall guy for a team that is embarrassing itself on a national scale and getting exposed in the league standings.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But Neptune also blurs lines, which is why its influence can feel mysterious or even confusing at times.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
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That’s not all that’s confusing across the first season.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The documentary is already stirring up buzz due to Odom’s recent comments refuting some of the details and recollections from his ex-wife Khloé Kardashian.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
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Gould had re-released his own book with new material refuting those arguments.—
Megan Molteni,
STAT,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Everyone already knows about the Red Sox’s struggles, especially at the plate, but the Mariners and Tigers’ early slumps have been equally puzzling.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
12 Apr. 2026
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Inside, there was a puzzling, almost magical blue powder that glowed in the dark.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But even more than engaging the big ideas that Emma’s revelation triggers — pun somewhat intended — Lee and Borli wanted to craft an experience that would mimic its main characters’ bewildering interiority.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
6 Apr. 2026
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There aren’t many ways to earn a club’s first win better than bewildering the league’s defending champions at their place.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There was also some disconcerting history to consider.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
17 Apr. 2026
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There’s a lot of disconcerting news about AI in journalism lately.—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Confounding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confounding. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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