as in perplexing
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in baffling
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 embarrassing
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 confusing
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 refuting
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
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Recent Examples of confounding
Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 24 Dec. 2024
Though none of that even scratches the surface of all the Jets’ confounding mental errors on Sunday.
—Zack Rosenblatt, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
Are your former lovers dying in increasingly mysterious and confounding ways?
—Matt Minton, Variety, 20 Dec. 2024
Morris probed top executives for months about the rumor’s origins and received a confounding mix of finger-pointing and memory lapses, as detailed in a 1,100-page investigative case file reviewed by The Times.
—Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2024
All the while, his body betrays him in novel and confounding ways.
—Longreads, 18 Dec. 2024
In the 15 years since, mysteries have continued to surround their deaths — as has speculation about their former home's possible role in the confounding story, from reports of otherworldly encounters to rumors that something else within the house may have played a part.
—Mackenzie Schmidt, People.com, 15 Dec. 2024
Mysterious drones have been showing up in the skies above New Jersey and other states for weeks, confounding residents and prompting lawmakers to call for more answers as to what exactly is going on.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC News, 14 Dec. 2024
Also confounding—especially given the three-screen display split between TVs hanging from the ceiling in an arrangement that evokes a sort of ghostly sports bar.
—Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
Brunson and Towns are confounding opposing defenses in two-man action, and this starting lineup can comfortably go five out to lengthen and distort the floor.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for confounding
Adjective
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His insight and unconventional approach to understanding human behavior lead him and the team on a series of intense, unexpected journeys to solve illogical puzzles and perplexing mysteries.—
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For economists, America’s organ shortage is a perplexing public health problem.—
Verb
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Hall ended up refuting his own hypothesis.—
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Two people aim to jointly and with intensity deliberate with each other, testing each other, refuting each other at times, and otherwise pursuing an in-depth cross-examining dialogue.—
Adjective
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This was baffling to many observers, including this one, and was widely ridiculed, even receiving a friendly jab from rival, Peacock.—
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There’s also the return of Esai Morales as the mustache-twirling villain whose motivation is as baffling as the Entity itself.—
Verb
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Researchers are particularly focused on unraveling the puzzling interplay between gas content, magma pressure and lava flow dynamics.—
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Almost two years into his ordeal, Gould learned of an initiative at the National Institutes of Health that focuses on solving the country’s most puzzling medical cases.—
Verb
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Today big tech is aggressively challenging long-standing legal protections in copyright law, in intellectual property, fair data practices and data privacy protections.—
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The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, which went on an historic two-and-a-half week strike in March after negotiations for a new contract broke down, had filed a petition with the Sixth District Court of Appeal on April 1, challenging the ruling of the Santa Clara County Superior Court.—
Verb
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The young actor has a disconcerting awareness of the roiling potential of his changing body.—
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Even without Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota’s size remains disconcerting to the Nuggets, especially when Aaron Gordon is out.—
Adjective
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The New York Mets scored three runs in the seventh to snap a 1-1 tie en route to a 5-1 win over the Red Sox on a frustrating night.—
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Both English teams have been experiencing frustrating, parallel worlds as the pair have struggled mightily in the Premier League.—
Adjective
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But by the end, Sirens shifts gears again and descends into bewildering melodrama with a nonsensical final twist that feels tacked on for the sake of having a big final twist.—
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His message after another bewildering loss was that what’s done is done.—
Cite this Entry
“Confounding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confounding. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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