confound

verb

con·​found kən-ˈfau̇nd 

kän-

confounded; confounding; confounds

transitive verb

1

: to throw (a person) into confusion or perplexity

tactics to confound the enemy

2

a

: refute

sought to confound his arguments

b

: to put to shame : discomfit

a performance that confounded the critics

3

: damn

4

a

: to fail to discern differences between : mix up

They implored Charles not to confound the innocent with the guilty …

—T. B. Macaulay

b

: to increase the confusion of

5

a

: baffle, frustrate

Conferences … are not for accomplishment but to confound knavish tricks.

—John Kenneth Galbraith

b

archaic : to bring to ruin : destroy

6

obsolete : consume, waste

confounder

kən-ˈfau̇n-dər 

kän-

noun

confoundingly

kən-ˈfau̇n-diŋ-lē 

kän-

adverb

Synonyms

• addle
• baffle
• bamboozle
• beat
• befog
• befuddle
• bemuse
• bewilder
• buffalo
• confuse
• discombobulate
• disorient
• flummox
• fox
• fuddle
• get
• gravel
• maze
• muddle
• muddy
• mystify
• perplex
• pose
• puzzle
• vex

Choose the Right Synonym for confound

puzzle, perplex, bewilder, distract, nonplus, confound, dumbfound mean to baffle and disturb mentally.

puzzle implies existence of a problem difficult to solve.

the persistent fever puzzled the doctor

perplex adds a suggestion of worry and uncertainty especially about making a necessary decision.

a behavior that perplexed her friends

bewilder stresses a confusion of mind that hampers clear and decisive thinking.

a bewildering number of possibilities

distract implies agitation or uncertainty induced by conflicting preoccupations or interests.

distracted by personal problems

nonplus implies a bafflement that makes orderly planning or deciding impossible.

the remark left us utterly nonplussed

confound implies temporary mental paralysis caused by astonishment or profound abasement.

the tragic news confounded us all

dumbfound suggests intense but momentary confounding; often the idea of astonishment is so stressed that it becomes a near synonym of astound.

was at first too dumbfounded to reply

Examples of confound in a Sentence

The strategy confounded our opponents.

The murder case has confounded investigators.

The school's team confounded all predictions and won the game.

The success of the show confounded critics.

Recent Examples on the Web

The fact that Nikki Haley continues to get votes in Republican primaries has confounded many reporters and pundits. —Henry Olsen, National Review, 12 Apr. 2024

Instead, Parks asks us to reckon with the ways race confounds easy accounting. —Imani Perry Janina Edwards Krish Seenivasan Devin Murphy, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024

And that’s confounding economists and Federal Reserve officials who are still struggling to understand the post-pandemic world. —Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024

The cause of such health incidents has confounded U.S. officials and perplexed medical experts due to its elusive nature and the wide range of symptoms, which also include nausea, bloody noses and memory loss. —Nik Popli, TIME, 1 Apr. 2024

There are disadvantages to being part of a hotel, most of them involving confounding tourist expectations, Epps says, but the advantages are hard to ignore. —Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024

Napheesa Collier ended the confounding 16-0 run with two quick baskets that sent the Huskies into the fourth quarter ahead 64-43. —Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2024

The justices repeatedly came back to the distinction between direct messaging and e-commerce sites, and more traditional social media forums, often appearing confounded by how to rule on the matter due to the possibility of its widespread application. —Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2024

The lack of evidence on the scene confounds the team. —Sara Netzley, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English confounden "to defeat, destroy, frustrate, bewilder," borrowed from Anglo-French confondre, going back to Latin confundere "to pour together, blend, bring into disorder, destroy, disconcert," from con- con- + fundere "to pour, shed" — more at found entry 5

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5b

Kids Definition

confound

verb

con·​found kən-ˈfau̇nd 

kän-

1

: damn entry 1 sense 1

2

: to throw into disorder : mix up : confuse

our clever tactics confounded our opponents

confoundedly adverb