Synonyms of confounds

confounds

verb

present tense third-person singular of confound

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• confuses
• perplexes
• bewilders
• baffles
• puzzles
• befuddles
• vexes
• mystifies
• embarrasses
• disorients
• flummoxes
• disturbs
• muddles
• bothers
• discombobulates
• bemuses
• stuns
• poses
• flusters
• muddies
• rattles
• bamboozles
• upsets
• unsettles
• addles
• fuddles
• mazes
• gets
• beats
• befogs
• gravels
• buffaloes
• foxes
• disconcerts
• distresses
• discomfits
• perturbs
• blows one's mind
• dismays
• mortifies
• agitates
• sticks
• disquiets
• misleads
• deceives
• stumps
• unhinges
• goes to one's head
• fazes
• beguiles
• deludes
• nonpluses
• fools
• discountenances
• misguides
• tricks
• discomforts
• abashes
• weirds out
• chagrins
• hoodwinks
• discomposes
• strings along
• dupes
• snows
• humbugs
• gulls
• hoaxes
• cozens
• takes in

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• assures
• satisfies
• informs
• reassures
• enlightens

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• confuses
• embarrasses
• flusters
• bothers
• rattles
• disturbs
• disconcerts
• unsettles
• mortifies
• discomfits
• upsets
• fazes
• distresses
• humiliates
• perturbs
• discountenances
• disquiets
• dismays
• nonpluses
• abashes
• unhinges
• agitates
• shames
• humbles
• discomforts
• demeans
• degrades
• debases
• puts off
• chagrins
• discomposes
• puts out
• queers

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• relieves
• calms
• soothes
• comforts
• encourages
• cheers
• consoles
• assures
• reassures
• buoys
• emboldens
• heartens

3

as in conflates

to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related

I think you've confounded astrology with astronomy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• confuses
• conflates
• mistakes
• mixes (up)
• misapplies
• lumps (together)
• misidentifies
• miscalls
• misnames

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• differences
• separates
• distinguishes
• differentiates
• discriminates

4

as in refutes

to prove to be false

new discoveries that confound much of what archaeologists thought they knew about the Mayan civilization

Synonyms & Similar Words

• refutes
• overturns
• discredits
• disproves
• challenges
• falsifies
• belies
• debunks
• confutes
• rebuts
• discusses
• gives the lie to
• disconfirms
• questions
• overthrows
• doubts
• mistrusts
• shoots down
• debates
• contests
• queries
• moots
• talks over
• hashes (over)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• proves
• confirms
• establishes
• validates
• shows
• verifies
• supports
• witnesses
• records
• evidences
• identifies
• corroborates
• evinces
• documents
• substantiates
• attests
• illustrates
• demonstrates
• manifests
• backs (up)
• certifies
• displays
• buttresses
• adduces
• authenticates

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of confounds

Patriotism rooted in one or the other can curdle into cynicism or nihilism when confronted with evidence that confounds them. — Mark Brilliant, Mercury News, 9 July 2026

Even now, nearly three decades into his joyride through football, Campos confounds people. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 5 July 2026

The technology has advanced so quickly, in fact, that its end result — untraceable weapons, assembled from spare parts and plastic frames — often confounds existing laws and presents a unique enforcement problem for authorities. — Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2026

The dollar’s resilience confounds many investors. — William Pesek, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026

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