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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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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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
Philip Marcelo,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
The Cubs’ offense woes, though, remain a confounding situation that even Hoyer struggled to explain.
—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2026
More confounding still is what follows.
—
Natalia Winkelman,
Variety,
16 June 2026
Given that Griffin lacks a signature trading or investing style, his achievements can feel both confounding and imitable.
—
Gary Sernovitz,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
The point of picking up Hawthorne’s confounding story isn’t to recast the American Revolution as little more than a provincial riot.
—
John Swansburg,
The Atlantic,
15 June 2026
Pumping water from the wells north of Wray into the North Fork is a confounding delay strategy.
—
Allen Best,
Denver Post,
14 June 2026
Many earlier studies linking weight cycling to cardiovascular and metabolic risk failed to adequately control for confounding factors including age, underlying health status and the cumulative burden of obesity over time.
—
Allison Palmer
updated June 13,
Kansas City Star,
13 June 2026
Doing so while having to perform in games where the results are all that matter can be confounding and even counterproductive.
—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 June 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
Victims’ children recount a confounding loss Most of the women disappeared between 2000 and 2010, and most of their remains were found on a parkway not far from Long Island’s Gilgo Beach, some 50 miles from Manhattan.
—
Philip Marcelo,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
The Cubs’ offense woes, though, remain a confounding situation that even Hoyer struggled to explain.
—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2026
More confounding still is what follows.
—
Natalia Winkelman,
Variety,
16 June 2026
Given that Griffin lacks a signature trading or investing style, his achievements can feel both confounding and imitable.
—
Gary Sernovitz,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
The point of picking up Hawthorne’s confounding story isn’t to recast the American Revolution as little more than a provincial riot.
—
John Swansburg,
The Atlantic,
15 June 2026
Pumping water from the wells north of Wray into the North Fork is a confounding delay strategy.
—
Allen Best,
Denver Post,
14 June 2026
Many earlier studies linking weight cycling to cardiovascular and metabolic risk failed to adequately control for confounding factors including age, underlying health status and the cumulative burden of obesity over time.
—
Allison Palmer
updated June 13,
Kansas City Star,
13 June 2026
Doing so while having to perform in games where the results are all that matter can be confounding and even counterproductive.
—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confounding
Adjective
-
The sentencing capped an extraordinary investigation that solved one of New York’s most perplexing mysteries.
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The charming little burg is plagued by a perplexing dead body problem.
Verb
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The Illinois numbers, especially this year’s, are baffling experts.
-
For more than four minutes Darnold drove downfield, connecting on three of four passes, baffling the pass rushers, bleeding the clock, and by the time the Seahawks finally gave the ball back, the Rams had only 25 seconds to live.
Verb
-
The moms aren’t embarrassing their kids.
-
Several other policy changes led to blowback from the public and Starmer was forced to make a series of embarrassing U-turns that provided political capital for opponents and fed beliefs that the prime minister didn’t stand for much.
Verb
-
The most common mistake is confusing more communication with a better signal.
-
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s investigation of the alternative medicine industry uncovered a pattern of practitioners across Georgia pushing legal limits on what they’re allowed to do and presenting confusing information about their credentials.
Verb
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The Whitney Houston estate is refuting Oprah Winfrey recalling that the late singer was high and fell off the stage during an appearance on her talk show.
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Two other retired judges later published their own piece refuting Gilliard’s contention.
Adjective
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However, another round of lawsuits was somewhat puzzling.
-
But for Democrats, the aversion may seem more puzzling.
Verb
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Similarly, the defensively bewildering 9-6 loss the Wild suffered to start Round 2 in Colorado set the tone for five games that would ultimately be their undoing.
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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.
Verb
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This imbalance is perhaps not expressly disconcerting much of the time.
-
There was also some disconcerting history to consider.
Cite this Entry
“Confounding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confounding. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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