1
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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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3
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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4
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
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Recent Examples of confounds
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
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
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Red Rising is a book that seems to confuses some politically right-leaning readers, something which frustrates but doesn’t surprise Abughazaleh.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
19 Dec. 2025
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Mars’ clash with Neptune clouds your judgment and confuses your intuition.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
14 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Maia and her boyfriend Dylan (Josh Hustcherson) are on the outs after Maia completely embarrasses herself at Dylan’s game night with his co-workers.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
21 Dec. 2025
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There, the father of the bride gets too drunk and embarrasses himself.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
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This definitive non-detection directly contradicts earlier hints and fully refutes claims from experiments such as Neutrino-4, which reported positive evidence for such a signal.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Dec. 2025
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And refutes this idea that dinosaurs were in decline before the asteroid struck.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But the unknown in that equation is what perplexes the Mavericks and has the team stuck for now.—
Tim Cowlishaw,
Dallas Morning News,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Helm topples trees, uproots crops, overturns feed stacks, steals loose blankets.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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The ruling overturns only one of two lower court decisions to block the deployment of the National Guard in Portland, and because a second decision is still in force, troops can’t immediately be mobilized.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN Money,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Nandi is experiencing severe insomnia, tremors and psychosis, and her quickly deteriorating condition bewilders the emergency room staff.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
21 Oct. 2025
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The designs were puckish and gender-bending, evoking both awe and repulsion—the sort of clothing that titillates lovers of conceptual fashion and bewilders the uninitiated.—
Ana Karina Zatarain,
New Yorker,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Feeney’s book features multiple narrators, but relativity is not an idea the series bothers to develop.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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Now, wages have grown, but inflation bothers people.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Take the quiz here … DUGOUT SECRETS – Mysterious wooden canoe found after Hurricane Ian still baffles experts three years later.—
,
FOXNews.com,
8 Oct. 2025
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One case that still baffles is the macabre story of Virginia McCullough, who killed her parents for their money – and then lived with their bodies for four years.—
KC Baker,
People.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confounds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confounds. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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