1
as in to confuse
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 to embarrass
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 to conflate
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 to refute
to prove to be false
new discoveries that confound much of what archaeologists thought they knew about the Mayan civilization
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of confound
Perhaps Trump’s gambit will once again confound the experts with its outcome.
—
Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2025
But money was scattered around the apartment—ten dollars next to Towery’s corpse, a hundred and twenty dollars in a bedroom—somewhat confounding the theory that theft was the killer’s intent.
—Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
Past pursuits of it have confounded U.S. Presidents.
—Peter L. Hahn / Made By History, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025
On Sunday night, Yeezy bought Super Bowl ad time in local markets, and a confounding, short spot for the brand aired toward the big game’s conclusion.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for confound
Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2025
But money was scattered around the apartment—ten dollars next to Towery’s corpse, a hundred and twenty dollars in a bedroom—somewhat confounding the theory that theft was the killer’s intent.
—Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
Past pursuits of it have confounded U.S. Presidents.
—Peter L. Hahn / Made By History, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025
On Sunday night, Yeezy bought Super Bowl ad time in local markets, and a confounding, short spot for the brand aired toward the big game’s conclusion.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for confound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confound
Verb
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This should not be confused as some kind of part-time mentoring role, like someone coming in to give a speech once in a while and then clearing off.—
Simon Johnson,
The Athletic,
18 Feb. 2025
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Don't let the term air fryer confuse you: These things are pretty much just small convection ovens that use fans to circulate hot air around your food in order to cook it evenly and efficiently.—
Emily Farris,
Bon Appétit,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The rest would sooner expect the AfD to embarrass Germany than to save it.—
Simon Shuster/Berlin,
TIME,
22 Feb. 2025
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The rapper has famously pressed people (and embarrassed them) regarding giving him monies owed on social media.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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While Kansas public health officials called it the largest U.S. concentration of the disease since recording began in the 1950s, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has refuted this, citing two larger episodes in the past.—
Cory Franklin,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2025
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Nicole’s lawyer, Bruce Weil of law firm Boies Schiller Flexner, refutes that claim, saying that Dr. Wertheim never made such an offer.—
Kerry A. Dolan,
Forbes,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Sociologists have been perplexed at the scale and stubbornness of the decline in fertility, which does not appear to be materially impacted by various governments' attempts to intervene with supposedly birth-inducing policies like tax credits.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
14 Feb. 2025
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For years, astronomers have been perplexed by this particular supermassive black hole, a behemoth as large as a million suns in a distant galaxy.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA TODAY,
14 Jan. 2025
Verb
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As of now, there is no case before the Supreme Court directly seeking to overturn Obergefell.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
22 Feb. 2025
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If these repayment plans are overturned, repealed, or fundamentally changed, many federal student loan borrowers will have no choice but to switch to a different, more expensive repayment plan.—
Adam S. Minsky,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Unenlightened of the brownie’s incredible taste, I was bewildered by the perfect combination of these three types of chocolate.—
Mia Leimkuhler,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2025
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The appeal bewilders attorneys for the 300,000 plaintiffs who each missed out on $3,000 when DeWine cut off the benefits in June 2021 — 10 weeks before they were set to expire.—
Sam Allard,
Axios,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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And a cover-up may have furthered the aims of domestic espionage operations like the CIA’s CHAOS and the FBI’s COINTELPRO, which targeted and discredited radical movements whether hippies, Black Panthers, or anti-war activists.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
21 Feb. 2025
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Yes, but: King's family is concerned that Trump's order to release records about his assassination could revive the FBI's attempts to discredit him — efforts that sought to exploit his indiscretions with women and undermine his legacy, sources close to his relatives told Axios.—
Russell Contreras,
Axios,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
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New Demands On Leaders Many leaders feel particularly isolated and baffled by the demands of the post-Covid workplace.—
Edward Doherty,
Forbes,
20 Feb. 2025
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Willian left one year into his three-year deal with everyone concerned baffled that the whole experience was so deflating.—
Amy Lawrence,
The Athletic,
20 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confound. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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