confound
7 synonyms and 1 antonym for confound, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Verb — To completely puzzle or baffle someone.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. verb
To completely puzzle or baffle someone.
“The magician's trick confounded the entire audience.”
2. verb
To mix up or fail to distinguish between two things.
“It's easy to confound correlation with causation in statistics.”
Opposites
Etymology
From Old French confondre, from Latin confundere, "to pour together, mix up" — the same root that gives us "confuse".
Full origin of confound →Frequently asked questions
What does “confound” mean?
The word “confound” means to completely puzzle or baffle someone. In plain terms, to baffle someone, or to mix things up so badly they can't be told apart.
How do you pronounce “confound”?
“Confound” is pronounced kuhn-FOWND (/kənˈfaʊnd/ in IPA).
How do you use “confound” in a sentence?
Here is “confound” used in a sentence: “The magician's trick confounded the entire audience.”
What part of speech is “confound”?
Depending on how it is used, “confound” can be a verb and a noun.
Where does the word “confound” come from?
The word “confound” comes from Latin. From Old French confondre, from Latin confundere, "to pour together, mix up" — the same root that gives us "confuse".
How many meanings does “confound” have?
“Confound” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to completely puzzle or baffle someone.
