CONFOUNDS Synonyms: 157 Similar and Opposite Words

confounds

verb

present tense third-person singular of confound

as in confuses

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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as in embarrasses

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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as in conflates

to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related I think you've confounded astrology with astronomy

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as in refutes

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of confounds Keywords and concepts are linked to objects and ephemera, which are tagged and cross-referenced in a dense network that both thrills and confounds. —

Katherine Rochester, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026 Then the brutal murder of a young woman ― the latest in a string of deaths across the coast ― confounds police. —

Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026 Onto center stage steps a figure who confounds expectations. —

Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 1 Jan. 2026 Since their vision is not pixel-precise, using web interfaces—which are dynamic, designed for humans, and often include captchas and other anti-bot measures—confounds them. —

Tharin Pillay, Time, 4 Nov. 2025 Again, all of this confounds traditional attempts at sense making. —

Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for confounds

Verb

The low-performing chefs are Rhoda, whose lamb confuses the kids; Sherry, whose grits were oddly flavored; and Oscar, whose puff pastry soaked up all the deep-fryer oil.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026
Learn about Outside Online's affiliate link policy Go somewhere that confuses your algorithm.

— Kevin Sintumuang, Outside, 10 Mar. 2026