CONFOUNDED Synonyms: 252 Similar and Opposite Words

confounded 1 of 2

adjective

kən-ˈfau̇n-dəd

Definition of confounded

as in cursed

deserving of one's condemnation or displeasure that confounded dog chewed up my shoe

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

The data, which confounded experts, were initially classified. — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for confounded

Adjective

This remake of the Japanese horror hit Ringu stars Naomi Watts as a Seattle reporter whose 8-year-old son (David Dorfman) watches a cursed videotape that marks him for death in seven days.

— Sara Netzley, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of cursed

Adjective

Bettany is by turns hilariously perplexed, in the universal manner of parents engaging with teens everywhere, and achingly tender, in the more unusual way of a robot letting himself be overwhelmed by feeling for the first time.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
College football fans were a little perplexed as to why the flag wasn’t thrown.

— Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of perplexed

Adjective

What appears before the bewildered trio is a boy with a face resembling a frog’s, named Fūsuke.

— Jennifer Maas, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
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

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

In the 2024 playoffs, Green Bay went into Dallas and embarrassed the Cowboys in a 48-32 rout.

— Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 15 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

But Wright, the center’s attorney, refuted this, telling The Times that two investigations were done by independent third parties.

— Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of refuted

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confounded

confounding

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Style

“Confounded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confounded. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of confounded

adjective

verb

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