confounded 1 of 2

adjective

kən-ˈfau̇n-dəd How to pronounce confounded (audio)
Definition of confoundednext
1
as in cursed
deserving of one's condemnation or displeasure that confounded dog chewed up my shoe

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2
as in perplexed
faced with difficulty or uncertainty about what to say, think, or do the sudden burden of familial responsibility has left him anxious and confounded

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3
as in bewildered
suffering from mental confusion since their house is old and impressive-looking, they are frequently imposed upon by confounded tourists

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confounded

2 of 2

verb

past tense of confound
1
as in baffled
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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2
as in embarrassed
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 confused
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 refuted
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of confounded
Adjective
That’s why some users, who have never been Creed fanatics, are so confounded they are getting recommended to use the song. — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2026 Dosunmu operated at times like a one-man wrecking crew, forcing his way downhill in the half court and cracking open the Heat’s confounded defense in the flow of transition. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026 The Vikings defense hounded Maye, a veteran unit that ranked second in takeaways last year and confounded veteran quarterbacks with its exotic pressure packages. — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025 The displeasure of it gave way to absurdity, out of which emerged a mutual, confounded glee. — Kent Russell, Harper's Magazine, 15 Sep. 2020 In Europe itself, Greece has so far confounded predictions by avoiding the kind of mass outbreaks that have claimed tens of thousands of lives in Italy, France, and Britain. — Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 May 2020 And with wild swings on Tuesday, the markets proved those predictions correct, a marker of how confounded investors appear as the covid-19 economic crisis takes a fuller form. — Jacob Bogage, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Mar. 2020 Learn how to work the confounded thing at free Android smartphone workshops being held in South Florida, sponsored by the American Association of Retired Persons. — Doreen Christensen, Sun-Sentinel.com, 9 Mar. 2018 For decades, recovery stories like this confounded researchers, who characterized autism as a lifelong condition. — Brendan Borrell, Slate Magazine, 22 Sep. 2017
Verb
Netanyahu’s position on Qatar had long confounded those who worked with him, according to a former senior Israeli defense official. — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026 That is surprisingly popular in quantum mechanics and completely confounded. — Quanta Magazine, 17 Sep. 2026 But Wright is also noticing plenty of empty seats on the flights she’s been considering and is confounded by the high prices. — Marnie Hunter, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2026 Lisa, an engineer who worked on Roman's team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland and wished to be identified by an alias, was left confounded at the time. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 27 Aug. 2026 The effort is unlikely to result in a major political shift in Missouri, a reliably red state that has confounded both political strategists and lawmakers with its progressive votes on ballot measures. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026 Curbasi's next task could be trying to stop Messi, who confounded foes with his goal-scoring in the group stage. — Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 The factors that had confounded such efforts remained in force and had worsened. — Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026 The theme of the Platner campaign became don’t believe these women until Monday, when a detailed and credible accusation of rape confounded the excuse makers beyond their considerable power to slime women who had stories to tell about Platner. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 11 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confounded
  1. cursed
  2. perplexed
  3. bewildered
  4. baffled
  5. embarrassed
  6. confused
  7. refuted
  8. freaking
Adjective
  • The cursed island town in Widow’s Bay has summoned all kinds of supernatural entities, much to the dismay of its residents.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Circus of the Damned — An evil ringmaster tries to restore his cursed carnival with a new cast of clowns.
    — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of cursed
Adjective
  • College football fans were a little perplexed as to why the flag wasn’t thrown.
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Nate said Klock, who was white, would introduce Nate, who is Black, as his son, which often left people perplexed.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of perplexed
Adjective
  • But Iñárritu’s caricatures become people in a way Kubrick’s don’t; as the bewildered President, for example, John Goodman is simultaneously grounded and theatrical in his presentation, recalling his best work with the Coen brothers.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Five o’clock Saturday, the Riverside Stadium and Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg is fist-pumping a half-bewildered but fully enthused home crowd.
    — Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of bewildered
Verb
  • Beyond being frustrated with the secrecy, locals said they were baffled by the lack of specifics and clarity the stakeholders had about the project, per the records.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026
  • And just last month, officials in Millcreek, Utah, were baffled to find an unknown camera installed on city property that neither the city nor police requested.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of baffled
Verb
  • Over two games in Tampa, the Rays had embarrassed the Yankees – nearly no hitting them in Game 1 and putting the ball in play and watching the errors ensue in Game 2.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Philadelphia embarrassed itself in a non-competitive loss at Chicago on Monday night, unable to go drive-for-drive with journeyman quarterback Case Keenum, a 38-year-old backup’s backup.
    — Andy Behrens, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of embarrassed
Verb
  • Prime Big Deal Days is Amazon's multiday sales event that takes place in the fall, not to be confused with Prime Day, Amazon's summer shopping event.
    — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 6 Oct. 2026
  • At last week's race in Azerbaijan, Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas crashed on the last lap and reportedly blamed it on the software becoming confused and affecting his braking.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of confused
Verb
  • According to the Public Defender's Office, officers falsely claimed that Gibson had assaulted them by biting, punching, and wrapping a radio cord around an officer's neck, claims later refuted by video evidence.
    — Senior Editor, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • But Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve refuted those ideas prior to her Game 2 first-round loss.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of refuted
Adjective
  • That little freaking weasel kept me on my toes the whole game.
    — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026
  • And that's what Simon hasn't learned how to do yet, which is to just go and get a freaking life.
    — Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 31 July 2026
Definition of freaking

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Cite this Entry

“Confounded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confounded. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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