Standard Lemma guide

confound

noun · verb · 12 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /kənˈfaʊnd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aʊnd
  • CMU ARPABET: K AA0 N F AW1 N D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: K AA1 N F AW2 N D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 3: K AH0 N F AW1 N D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A confounding variable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: mathematics, sciences, statistics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: confounder

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To perplex or puzzle.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: puzzle

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To stun or amaze.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To fail to see the difference; to mix up; to confuse right and wrong.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: confuse, mix up, addle, baffle, vex, lose, embroil, stick, stump, baffound, bamboozle, bedevil, befuddle, throw, bemud, bemuse, bewilder, bumfuzzle, complicate, confound, confuddle, confuzzle, dazzle, discombobulate, disconcert, blind, dumbfound, entangle, ferhoodle, flabagast, flabbergast, flabbergaster, flurry, fluster, flummox, fuddle, jumble, knot, muddle, muddy, ravel, perplex, puzzle

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To make something worse.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: proscribed, sometimes

Examples

  • Don't confound the situation by yelling.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To combine in a confused fashion; to mingle so as to make the parts indistinguishable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To cause to be ashamed; to abash.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • His actions confounded the skeptics.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To defeat, to frustrate, to thwart.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • 1848 February 12, John Mitchel, The United Irishman, Letter to Lord Clarendon, I am now, in order the better to confound your politics, going to give you a true account of the means we intend to use, and of the rules, signs, and pass-words of our new United Irish Society Lodge A. 1.—They are so simple that you will never believe them.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To damn (a mild oath).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

Examples

  • Confound you!
  • Confound the lady!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

To destroy, ruin, or devastate; to bring to ruination.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

verb

Meaning 11

mistake one thing for another

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • you are confusing me with the other candidate
  • I mistook her for the secretary

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: confuse

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mistake, misidentify

12

verb

Meaning 12

be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • These questions confuse even the experts
  • This question completely threw me
  • This question befuddled even the teacher

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: confuse, throw, fox, befuddle, fuddle, bedevil, discombobulate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: be

Narrower terms: demoralize, perplex, vex, stick, get, puzzle, mystify, baffle, beat, pose, bewilder, flummox, stupefy, nonplus, gravel, amaze, dumbfound, disorient, disorientate

History

Etymology

From Middle English confounden (“destroy, ruin, perplex”), from Anglo-Norman cunfundre and Old French confondre, from Latin cōnfundō (“to mingle, mix together”). Related to found (“to melt (metals in a foundry)”) (but not to found (“to start”), nor to find) and to fusion.

Across languages

Translations

94 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Czech: zmást — to perplex or puzzle
  • Czech: udivit — to perplex or puzzle
  • Czech: uvést do rozpaků — to perplex or puzzle
  • German: verwirren — to perplex or puzzle
  • German: verblüffen — to perplex or puzzle
  • German: in Erstaunen versetzen — to stun or amaze
  • German: verblüffen — to stun or amaze
  • Bulgarian: обърквам (obǎrkvam) — to confuse
  • Bulgarian: слисвам (slisvam) — to confuse
  • Czech: zamlžit — to confuse
  • Czech: mást — to confuse
  • Dutch: verwarren — to confuse
  • Finnish: hämmästyttää — to confuse
  • Finnish: saattaa hämilleen — to confuse
  • German: verwirren — to confuse
  • German: durcheinanderbringen — to confuse
  • Icelandic: rugla — to confuse
  • Norwegian: forvirre — to confuse
  • Occitan: confondre — to confuse
  • Occitan: borrolar — to confuse
  • Occitan: mesclar — to confuse
  • Portuguese: confundir — to confuse
  • Romanian: încurca — to confuse
  • Russian: сбива́ть с толку (sbivátʹ s tolku) — to confuse
  • Spanish: confundir — to confuse
  • Spanish: barahustar — to confuse
  • Spanish: barajustar — to confuse
  • Spanish: baraustar — to confuse
  • Turkish: şaşırtmak — to confuse
  • Turkish: kafasını karıştırmak — to confuse
  • Turkish: afallatmak — to confuse
  • Bulgarian: обърквам (obǎrkvam) — to confuse right and wrong
  • Finnish: sekoittaa — to confuse right and wrong
  • German: verwechseln — to confuse right and wrong
  • German: durcheinanderbringen — to confuse right and wrong
  • Occitan: confondre — to confuse right and wrong
  • Occitan: borrolar — to confuse right and wrong
  • Occitan: trebolar — to confuse right and wrong
  • Russian: пу́тать (pútatʹ) — to confuse right and wrong
  • Russian: смешивать (smešivatʹ) — to confuse right and wrong
  • Spanish: confundir — to confuse right and wrong
  • Bulgarian: влошавам (vlošavam) — to make something worse
  • Czech: zhoršit — to make something worse
  • German: verschlimmern — to make something worse
  • German: verschlechtern — to make something worse
  • Icelandic: gera vont verra — to make something worse
  • Icelandic: bæta gráu ofan á svart — to make something worse
  • Korean: 악화하다 (akhwahada) — to make something worse
  • Occitan: empejorar — to make something worse
  • Portuguese: piorar — to make something worse
  • Russian: ухудшать (uxudšatʹ) — to make something worse
  • Spanish: empeorar — to make something worse
  • Turkish: ciddileştirmek — to make something worse
  • Turkish: kötüleştirmek — to make something worse
  • Arabic: أَخْزَى (ʔaḵzā) — to cause to be ashamed
  • Bulgarian: засрамвам (zasramvam) — to cause to be ashamed
  • Esperanto: hontigi — to cause to be ashamed
  • German: beschämen — to cause to be ashamed
  • Icelandic: niðurlægja — to cause to be ashamed
  • Occitan: confondre — to cause to be ashamed
  • Occitan: desontir — to cause to be ashamed
  • Occitan: desvergonhar — to cause to be ashamed
  • Russian: посрамлять (posramljatʹ) — to cause to be ashamed
  • Turkish: utandırmak — to cause to be ashamed
  • Dutch: verslaan — to defeat
  • German: besiegen — to defeat
  • German: durchkreuzen — to defeat
  • Icelandic: sigra — to defeat
  • Occitan: confondre — to defeat
  • Occitan: despoderar — to defeat
  • Turkish: yenmek — to defeat
  • Bulgarian: проклинам (proklinam) — to damn
  • Finnish: kirota — to damn
  • German: verfluchen — to damn
  • German: verdammen — to damn
  • German: zum Kuckuck wünschen — to damn
  • Icelandic: bölva — to damn
  • Irish: scread mhaidine ar — to damn
  • Occitan: maldire — to damn
  • Occitan: escumenjar — to damn
  • Occitan: escomenjar — to damn
  • Russian: проклина́ть (proklinátʹ) — to damn
  • Swedish: fördöma — to damn
  • Turkish: kahretmek — to damn
  • Bulgarian: слисвам (slisvam) — to frustrate
  • Bulgarian: шашкам (šaškam) — to frustrate
  • German: durchkreuzen — to frustrate
  • Icelandic: ergja — to frustrate
  • Turkish: boşa çıkarmak — to frustrate
  • Bulgarian: осуетявам (osuetjavam) — to bring to ruination
  • German: zunichte machen — to bring to ruination
  • Icelandic: eyðilegga — to bring to ruination
  • Icelandic: eyða — to bring to ruination
  • Turkish: yıkmak — to bring to ruination