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
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
John Kenneth Galbraith b
archaic : to bring to ruin : destroy
6
obsolete : consume, waste
confounder
kən-ˈfau̇n-dər
noun kän-
confoundingly
kən-ˈfau̇n-diŋ-lē
adverb kän-
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
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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 Hiring mercenaries is a foolproof way to confound international laws prohibiting savagery in war. Sean Mcfate, WSJ, 12 Apr. 2022 After a truly awkward June for the world’s Wordle players, the five-letter daily puzzler–which remains the second most popular game globally among the Twitter gaming community–continues to confound users of the social media platform. Matt Gardner, Forbes, 2 Aug. 2022 The morphable character of crypto tokens will confound cookie-cutter application of the regulated security definition. J.w. Verret, WSJ, 2 Aug. 2022 To its credit, the movie does somewhat confound our expectations. Eben Weiss, Outside Online, 21 June 2022 Whereas some adversarial attacks seek to disrupt or confound the AI, another equally if not more insidious form of deception involves getting the AI to act on the behalf of the attacker. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 16 May 2022 Do not confound today’s AI with an unknown and fantastical kind of future AI. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 2 May 2022 Sixty percent of Americans, including 75 percent of children, had been infected with the coronavirus by February, federal health officials reported on Tuesday — another remarkable milestone in a pandemic that continues to confound expectations. New York Times, 26 Apr. 2022 Batman's Harley Quinn arrives with some cool toys and surprise moves, like a dash-and-punch-back special attack that puts players into position to confound opponents. Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 19 May 2022 See More
Sean Mcfate, WSJ, 12 Apr. 2022 After a truly awkward June for the world’s Wordle players, the five-letter daily puzzler–which remains the second most popular game globally among the Twitter gaming community–continues to confound users of the social media platform. Matt Gardner, Forbes, 2 Aug. 2022 The morphable character of crypto tokens will confound cookie-cutter application of the regulated security definition. J.w. Verret, WSJ, 2 Aug. 2022 To its credit, the movie does somewhat confound our expectations. Eben Weiss, Outside Online, 21 June 2022 Whereas some adversarial attacks seek to disrupt or confound the AI, another equally if not more insidious form of deception involves getting the AI to act on the behalf of the attacker. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 16 May 2022 Do not confound today’s AI with an unknown and fantastical kind of future AI. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 2 May 2022 Sixty percent of Americans, including 75 percent of children, had been infected with the coronavirus by February, federal health officials reported on Tuesday — another remarkable milestone in a pandemic that continues to confound expectations. New York Times, 26 Apr. 2022 Batman's Harley Quinn arrives with some cool toys and surprise moves, like a dash-and-punch-back special attack that puts players into position to confound opponents. Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 19 May 2022 See More 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-
confounded; confounding
: confuse sense 1
The crime has confounded police.
confounds
verb
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
Relevance
- confuses
- perplexes
- bewilders
- baffles
- puzzles
- befuddles
- vexes
- mystifies
- embarrasses
- disorients
- muddles
- disturbs
- bothers
- bemuses
- stuns
- poses
- rattles
- flusters
- muddies
- flummoxes
- bamboozles
- discombobulates
- unsettles
- upsets
- mazes
- addles
- fuddles
- gets
- beats
- foxes
- buffaloes
- gravels
- befogs
- distresses
- disconcerts
- discomfits
- dismays
- perturbs
- sticks
- mortifies
- agitates
- disquiets
- blows one's mind
- stumps
- misleads
- deceives
- unhinges
- beguiles
- goes to one's head
- fazes
- deludes
- discomforts
- fools
- misguides
- discountenances
- tricks
- chagrins
- weirds out
- abashes
- hoodwinks
- nonplusses
- nonpluses
- discomposes
- dupes
- gulls
- humbugs
- snows
- hoaxes
- strings along
- cozens
- takes in
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- assures
- informs
- satisfies
- 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
- rattles
- bothers
- disturbs
- unsettles
- disconcerts
- discomfits
- mortifies
- upsets
- fazes
- distresses
- humiliates
- perturbs
- disquiets
- dismays
- nonplusses
- abashes
- discountenances
- nonpluses
- discomforts
- shames
- unhinges
- agitates
- humbles
- demeans
- degrades
- chagrins
- debases
- discomposes
- puts off
- queers
- puts out
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- relieves
- calms
- soothes
- comforts
- encourages
- cheers
- assures
- consoles
- reassures
- emboldens
- heartens
- buoys
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
- misidentifies
- misapplies
- mixes (up)
- miscalls
- misnames
- lumps (together)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- separates
- distinguishes
- differences
- 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
- confutes
- discredits
- disproves
- challenges
- falsifies
- debunks
- belies
- rebuts
- disconfirms
- discusses
- mistrusts
- questions
- overthrows
- doubts
- shoots down
- gives the lie to
- contests
- debates
- queries
- talks over
- moots
- hashes (over)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- confirms
- proves
- establishes
- validates
- shows
- verifies
- supports
- witnesses
- records
- evidences
- identifies
- corroborates
- evinces
- substantiates
- attests
- demonstrates
- illustrates
- documents
- manifests
- certifies
- displays
- backs (up)
- buttresses
- adduces
- authenticates
- conspicuously
- conspicuously absent
- conspicuousness
- conspicuousnesses
- conspiracies
- conspiracist
- conspiracists
- conspiracy
- conspiracy of silence
- conspiracy theories
- conspiracy theorist
- conspiracy theorists
- conspiracy theory
- conspirant
- conspiration
- conspirational
- conspirations
- conspirative
- conspirator
- conspiratorial
- conspiratorially
- conspirators
- conspiratresses
- conspire
- conspired