Confound

Definition: Confound

Confound

Verb

1. Be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly: "These questions confuse even the experts"; "This question completely threw me"; "This question befuddled even the teacher".

2. Mistake one thing for another; "you are confusing me with the other candidate"; "I mistook her for the secretary".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "confound" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1050. (references)

Synonyms: Confound

Arrangement

Turn topsy-turvy; (invert); bedevil; complicate, involve, perplex, confound; imbrangle, embrangle, tangle, entangle, ravel, tousle, towzle, dishevel, ruffle; rumple; (fold).

Confutation

Verb: confute, refute, disprove; parry, negative, controvert, rebut, confound, disconfirm, redargue, expose, show the fallacy of, defeat; demolish, break; (destroy); overthrow, overturn scatter to the winds, explode, invalidate; silence; put to silence, reduce to silence; clinch an argument, clinch a question; give one a setdown, stop the mouth, shut up; have, have on the hip.

Destruction

Deal destruction, desolate, devastate, lay waste, ravage gut; disorganize; dismantle; (render useless); devour, swallow up, sap, mine, blast, bomb, blow to smithereens, drop the big one, confound; exterminate, extinguish, quench, annihilate; snuff out, put out, stamp out, trample out; lay in the dust, trample in the dust; prostrate; tread under foot; crush under foot, trample under foot; lay the ax to the root of; make short work of, make clean sweep of, make mincemeat of; cut up root and branch, chop into pieces, cut into ribbons; fling to the winds, scatter to the winds; throw overboard; strike at the root of, sap the foundations of, spring a mine, blow up, ravage with fire and sword; cast to the dogs; eradicate.

Indiscrimination

Verb: not discriminate; overlook; (neglect) a distinction: confound, confuse.

Malediction

Interjection: woe to! beshrew! ruat coelum! ill betide, woe betide; confusion seize! damn! damn it! damn you! damn you to hell! go to hell! go to blazes! confound! blast! curse! devil take! hang! out with! a plague upon! out upon! aroynt! honi soit! parbleu!

Success

Silence, quell, nonsuit, checkmate, upset, confound, nonplus, stalemate, trump; baffle; (hinder); circumvent, elude; trip up, trip up the heels of; drive into a corner, drive to the wall; run hard, put one's nose out of joint.

Uncertainty

Render uncertain; Adjective: put out, pose, puzzle, perplex, embarrass; confuse, confound; bewilder, bother, molder, addle the wits, throw off the scent, ambiguas in vulgus spargere voces; keep in suspense.

Wonder

Surprise, astonish, amaze, astound; dumfound, dumfounder; startle, dazzle; daze; strike, strike with wonder, strike with awe; electrify; stun, stupefy, petrify, confound, bewilder, flabbergast, stagger, throw on one's beam ends, fascinate, turn the head, take away one's breath, strike dumb; make one's hair stand on end, make one's tongue cleave to the roof of one's mouth; make one stare.

Crosswords: Confound

Confound it Robin, the batteries are dead! (Batman; writing credit: Bob Kane; Lorenzo Semple Jr.)

Oh confound all this. (A Man for All Seasons; writing credit: Robert Bolt)

How I confound you (Wonder; performing artist: Natalie Merchant)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• Confound and Destroy: 100 Group and the Bomber Support Campaign (reference)

• Confound their politicks: an elector's guide to the traditional game of who governs? (reference)

  (more book examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Confound it, I can't do anything, but I'm afraid to go home, it might be triplets. Credit: Library of Congress.

Polly and her pals. "Somebuddy's been helpin' themselves to one of my kimono kimonos, confound their impudence!". Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

To replace thought by reverie is to confound poison with nourishment.

Be not so hasty to confound my meaning.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Health

The need to test several therapies together complicates and can confound traditional clinical trial strategies. (references)

It is important to make this phase as extensive as necessary to eliminate unknown factors that can confound the results of later, more expensive phase II and III trials. (references)

TVS examination can help to further evaluate a suspected ovarian mass. CA 125 may aid in the evaluation in postmenopausal women, but can confound it in premenopausal women because of the many benign conditions associated with an elevated serum CA 125 level. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Expressions using "confound": confound him! ♦ confound it ♦ confound it all! ♦ confound it! ♦ confound you! ♦ neglect a distinction: confound. Additional references.

Albanian

turbulloj (abash, addle, alarm, confuse, discomfit, disconcert, disquiet, embarrass, fog, muddy, obfuscate, obscure, perturb, rile, roil, trouble, unhinge, unsettle), përziej (admix, adulterate, alloy, attemper, beat, blend, commingle, compound, conglomerate, dash, drag in, embark, emulsify, implicate, intermingle, intermix, jumble, knead, malaxate, mingle, mix, shuffle, stir), ngatërroj (bedevil, bewilder, complicate, confuse, disorient, disorientate, disturb, embarrass, embrangle, embroil, entangle, entrap, flummox, fuddle, garble, hash, immerse, implicate, intricate, involve, jerk off, jumble, lug in, make a hash of cutting, make a mess of, mess about, mistake, mix up, monkey, muddle, muddy, put out, Ravel, snarl, tamper, tie up), hutoj (abash, baffle, befuddle, bewilder, confuse, dash, disarray, discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, disorient, disorientate, distract, floor, flummox, mystify, overwhelm, perplex, pose, puzzle, wilder), habis (amuse, astonish, astound, bemuse, daze, dazzle, knock, wow, zap). (various references)

Arabic 

‏حير (baffle, befog, bewilder, distract, floor, flummox, fluster, mystify, nonplus, perplex, put off one's fears, puzzle, riddle, vex), ‏تحير (confuse, hesitate, scrabble about), ‏ذهل (amaze, astonish, astound, bemuse, bewilder, bowl over, distract, flabbergast, flummox, maze, shake, shock, stagger, stun, stupefy, surprise, take a fancy to, taken aback, wonder), ‏أفحم (talk down), ‏أربك (baffle, bamboozle, befuddle, bemuse, bewilder, bother, buffalo, confuse, demoralize, discompose, disconcert, disorientate, embarrass, embrangle, entangle, floor, fluster, fox, fret, fuddle, gravel, molest, muckrake, mystify, nonplus, obfuscate, overwhelm, perplex, pose, put out, puzzle, ravel, show up, squirm, stop, stumble, stump, vex). (various references)

Bulgarian 

смущавам (become confused, confuse, discompose, disconcert, discountenance, disturb, flurry, gravel, incommode, muddle, mystify, obfuscate, perplex, perturb, put off, put out, rattle, ruffle, throw out, unbalance, violate, wake, wilder), обърквам (abash, addle, baffle, bedevil, befuddle, bewilder, complicate, confuse, discomfit, disconcert, disjoint, dislocate, distract, embarrass, embroil, flatten, flummox, fluster, foil, fuddle, gravel, jumble, maze, mess about, mess around, mess up, muddle, muff, muss, nonplus, obfuscate, overwhelm, perplex, pose, put off, put out, puzzle, sew up, snarl, stonker, throw out, tumble, vex, wilder), пращам по дяволите. (various references)

Chinese 

驚訝 , 迷惑 (Bewilder, Bewildered, Bewildering, Bewilderingly, Confounded, Confounding, Enchant, Enchanted, Enchanting, Mystify, Obfuscation). (various references)

Czech

zmást (baffle, bewilder, confuse, disconcert, maze, mix up, nonplus, non-plus, obfuscate, perplex, puzzle, stick up, stump, stupefy), zhatit (crush), splést si (confuse), překazit (baffle, queer, set back, thwart, upset), ohromit (amaze, astound, bewilder, dismay, dumbfound, flabbergast, strike dumb, stun, stupefy, transfix). (various references)

Farsi 

پریشان کردن (Afflict, Agitate, Ail, Buffalo, Distract, Nonplus, Oppress, Stress, Tousle), گیج کردن (Astonish, Befuddle, Bemuse, Bewilder, Confuse, Daze, Distract, Fox, Fuzz, Knockdown, Muddle, Perplex, Petrify, Stump, Stun, Stupefy), عاجزکردن (Bay, Beset, Disable, Harass, Importune). (various references)

Finnish

tuhat tulimmaista (confound it!). (various references)

French

confondre (confuse), donner tort, démentir (contradict), déconcerter. (various references)

German

verwechseln (confuse, get mixed up, get muddled, interchange, mistake, mix up, muddle, muddle up, swap, to confound, to confuse). (various references)

Greek 

κατατροπώνω (circumvent, smear, smite), συγχέω (becloud, confuse, fuddle, jumble, muddle, snafu), συγχύζω (addle, becloud, derange, discompose, disconcert, distract, muddle, obfuscate), μπερδεύω (baffle, bemuse, complicate, confuse, enmesh, jumble, kink, mix up, muddle), φέρω σε αμηχανία (baffle), ανακατώνω (admix, alligate, commingle, intermix, jumble, mash, mingle, mix, muss, puddle, riffle, rumple, shuffle, tousle), αναστατώνω (disorganize, disrupt, fluster, upset), ταράσσω (abash, agitate, discompose, disconcert, disturb, flurry, flutter, jar, roil, ruffle, shock, stir). (various references)

Hebrew 

לערבל (blend, confuse, mix, swirl), ל�"מם (daze, dumbfound, overwhelm, stun), ל�"ביך (abash, baffle, bewilder, disconcert, embarrass, maze, nonplus, perplex, show up), לבלבל (bedevil, confuse, disarrange, disconcert, disturb, flummox, mix up, muddle, perturb). (various references)

Hungarian

zavarba hoz (abash, confuse, disconcert, embarrass, maze, nonplus, outface, perplex, puzzle, to abash, to confound, to discomfit, to disconcert, to embarrass, to faze, to flummox, to flurry, to hobble, to nonplus, to perplex, to puzzle), összekavar (put one's foot in it). (various references)

Indonesian

mempercengangkan (amaze, astonish, baffle, perplex), membaurkan. (various references)

Italian

confondere (abash, addle, baffle, beat, become confuse, bemuse, bewilder, bother, confuse, embarrass, foil, garble, get mixed up, jumble, merge, mistake, mix, mix up, muddle, mystify, obfuscate, puzzle, stump), sconcertare (abash, baffle, be disconcerted, bewilder, confuse, discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, faze, flummox, nonplus, stagger). (various references)

Manx

cur naardey (annihilate, ruin). (various references)

Pig Latin

onfoundcay

Portuguese

confundir (addle, astonish, astound, baffle, befog, befuddle, bewilder, confuse, confusing, confute, daze, dazzle, disarray, disconcert, distract, dizzy, dumbfound, embarrass, embrangle, embroil, flabbergast, floor, flummox, flurry, fluster, fog, gravel, interfuse, intermingle, jumble, maze, mistake, mix up, moider, muddle, muddy, mull, nonplus, obfuscate, obscure, overwhelm, perplex, put out, puzzle, rattle, ravel, stagger), perturbar (agitate, break, cloud, commove, confuse, depolarise, derange, disarray, disquiet, disturb, faze, flurry, fluster, harass, incommode, mess, overturn, perturb, pother, pull down, puzzle, ruffle, shake, throw-out, toss, trouble, unbalance, unhinge, unsettle, upset), misturar (admix, combine, commingle, concoct, diffuse, draw in, fuse, huddle, incorporate, interfuse, interlace, interlard, intermingle, intermix, involve, jumble, knead, mash, medley, merge, mingle, mix, mix up, shuffle, temper), frustrar (balk, disappoint, discomfit, elude, foil, frustrate, mar, resist, thwart), desconcentrar, alterar (alter, bartender, change, differ, discompose, distemper, distort, garble, invert, make into, modify, mutate, overset, reconsider, shift, sophisticate, translate, transmute, unsettle, vary). (various references)

Romanian

confunda (confuse, misaddress, mistake, shuffle), zãpãci (addle, bedazzle, bewilder, confuse, daze, disconcert, dizzy, embrangle, entangle, flurry, gravel, jumble, knot, maze, muddle, muss, nonplus, pie, pose, shuffle), nãrui (crumble, dash, defeat, destroy, raze, ruin, slip, snuff), distruge (abolish, annihilate, blast, blight, crash, crock, cut, cut to pieces, cut up, dash, decay, defeat, demolish, destroy, devastate, dilapidate, disrupt, eat into, eat through, eliminate, exterminate, extirpate, finish, kill, lay waste, make havoc of, Mar, obliterate, overturn, overwhelm, perish, play the deuce with, play the devil with, quash, ravage, raze, reduce, ruin, scathe, scatter, scotch, shatter, shipwreck, sink, spoil, squelch, strafe, subvert, tear, undo, unmake, wreck), amesteca (admix, adulterate, amalgamate, attemper, blend, combine, commingle, compound, concoct, confuse, cross, dilute, embroil, entangle, immix, interblend, interfuse, intermingle, intermix, intersperse, involve, jumble, medley, melt, merge, mingle, mix, muddle, pie, poison, rabble, shuffle, temper, work), încurca (complicate, confuse, cumber, discomfit, embrangle, embroil, entangle, floor, foul, gravel, hamper, hash, hinder, intertangle, involve, jumble, maze, medley, muddle, nonplus, perplex, pile up, pose, put out, puzzle, restrain, shuffle, sputter, stump, tangle, trouble), încâlci (entangle, intertangle, mat, muddle, tangle). (various references)

Russian 

ставить в тупик (baffle, bewilder, floor, perplex, pose). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

zbuniti (abash, addle, baffle, befuddle, bemuse, bepuzzle, bewilder, confuse, discomfit, disconcert, distract, embarrass, faze, maze, nonplus, perplex, perturb, pose, puzzle, rattle, stick, stump). (various references)

Spanish

confundir (abash, baffle, beat, befuddle, bewilder, confuse, disarrange, discombobulate, dish, distract, embrangle, flummox, fluster, Fox, mistake, mix, mix up, muddle, nonplus, obscure, rattle, throw), desconcertar (abash, baffle, bewilder, break up, confuse, disconcert, disorder, faze, maze, mystify, put off, put out, puzzle, throw, throw out, upset), aturdir (abash, befuddle, bemuse, confuse, daze, distract, drug, fluster, fuddle, intoxicate, knock out, muddle, numb, stun, stupefy), aturdido (abashed, bewildered, confused, dopey, dopy, flurried, fuddled, headless, numbs, stunned, torpid). (various references)

Swedish

förvirra (addle, baffle, bamboozle, befog, bemuse, confuse, daze, disconcert, disorient, disorientate, distract, dizzy, embarrass, flummox, flurry, fluster, fuddle, gravel, Kittle, perplex, unsettle, upset), förväxla (alter, change, confuse, mix up, turn). (various references)

Turkish

yenmek (annihilate, bear down, bear the bell, beat, beat all hollow, best, break, carry away the bell, checkmate, circumvent, clobber, conquer, cut out, defeat, discomfit, down, floor, get the better of, give a beating, knock out, land, lick, master, outbox, outclass, outdo, outgo, overpower, pip, prevail, skunk, slam, smash, subjugate, surmount, swamp, thrash, trim, triumph, trounce, vanquish, wallop, wear down, whelm, whip, whop, win over, wipe the floor with smb., worst), yıkmak (batter down, blast, blow down, break down, dash, demolish, destroy, do for, drag down, explode, extinguish, housebreak, knock down, knock over, level, overthrow, pull dawn, puncture, ravage, ruin, shatter, shoot down, split, subvert, take down, unbuild), utandırmak (abash, bring disgrace on smb., disgrace, embarrass, humiliate, make smb. feel small, mortify, put smb. to confusion, put smb. to shame, put to the blush, scandalize, shame, wither), karıştırmak (add, admix, amalgamate, blend, churn, commingle, commix, complicate, concoct, confuse, darken, diffuse, disarrange, disarray, discompose, disconcert, disorder, disorganize, disturb, embroil, entangle, ferret about, foul, foul up, hash, implicate, interfuse, interlace, interlard, intermingle, intermix, involve, inweave, jumble, jumble together, jumble up, knot, litter, make hay of smth., meld, mess, mess smth. about, mess up, mingle, mistake, mix, mix up, monkey around with, monkey with, muddle, muss, pick, poke, poke up, Ravel, ruffle, scramble, scramble together, scramble up, shuffle, snarl, stir, stir up, tamper with, tangle, tousle, trim, tumble, unsettle, weave), kahretmek (blow, crush, oppress, overwhelm), kafasını karıştırmak (bedevil, befog, bemuse, confuse, derange, disorient, mix up, obfuscate, perturb, puzzle), bozmak (abash, abolish, adulterate, affect, alloy, annihilate, annul, baffle, ball up, barbarize, bedevil, blemish, botch, break, break down, break off, break on, bugger, bugger up, bust, cash, change, circumvent, confuse, contaminate, corrupt, cross, damage, debase, debauch, decay, declare off, deface, defile, destroy, deteriorate, disappoint, disarray, discolor, discolour, discomfit, discomfort, discompose, discountenance, dislocate, dismount, disorder, disrupt, dissolve, distort, disturb, downgrade, emasculate, embarrass, embroil, exchange, explode, fluff, foil, foul, foul up, fumble, garble, goof, goof up, gum up, Harry, impair, indispose, infect, infringe, lead astray, leaven, mangle, Mar, mess, murder, muss, mutilate, obliterate, pervert, pollute, put out, put out of action, put to shame, quash, queer, rattle, reverse, rot, ruffle, ruin, scotch, scupper, shatter, sour, spoil, stymie, taint, thwart, tousle, tumble, undo, unmake, upset, violate, vitiate, whittle away, whittle down, whittle off, wreck), şaşırtmak (addle, amaze, astonish, astound, baffle, bamboozle, bedevil, befog, befuddle, bemuse, bewilder, bowl over, confuse, daze, discompose, disconcert, discountenance, dislocate, disorient, disorientate, distract, embarrass, embrangle, flabbergast, floor, flummox, fuddle, give smb. a tumble, gravel, intrigue, jolt, knock back, mislead, moither, mystify, nonplus, obfuscate, perplex, put smb. out of countenance, puzzle, rattle, shock, startle, stick, stun, stupefy, surprise, take aback, wow). (various references)

Ukrainian

руйнувати (attack, baffle, blight, cast down, demolish, destroy, devour, dilapidate, disappoint, explode, havoc, ruin, shake down, wrack, wreck), змішувати (allay, blend, combine, commingle, commix, compound, immingle, intermingle, intermix, jumble, jumble together, medley, mingle, mix), бентежити (abash, affront, bewilder, confuse, damp, dank, daunt, disarray, discomfit, disconcert, discourage, dismay, disorder, embarrass, embrangle, flummox, muddle, overset, perplex, perturb, puddle, puzzle, upturn). (various references)

confundere, consternabatur, consternata, consternatae, consternatique, consternatus, conturba, conturbabant, conturbabar, conturbabimini, conturbabis, conturbabit, conturbabuntur, conturbamini, conturbant, conturbaret, conturbaris, conturbas, conturbasti, conturbat, conturbata, conturbatae, conturbati, conturbatum, conturbatumque, conturbatur, conturbatus, conturbaverunt, conturbavit, conturbemini, conturbent, conturbentur, conturbet, conturbo, misceantur, misceatur, miscebant, miscebitur, miscendam, miscentur, miscere, misceri, miscuerit, miscui, miscuit, mixta, mixtis, mixto, mixtum, mixturam, mixtus, permixtis. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Derivations

Words beginning with "confound": confounded, confoundedly, confounder, confounders, confounding, confoundingly, confounds. (additional references)

Words containing "confound": unconfounded. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Confound" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: cofound, counfound. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

-1 letter: cofound.

-2 letters: unfond.

-3 letters: codon, condo, fondu, found.

-4 letters: conn, coof, coon, fond, food, fund, noon, noun, unco, undo.

-5 letters: cod, con, coo, cud, doc, don, dun, duo, fon, fou, fud, fun, nod, noo, nun, oud, udo.

+1 letter: confounds.

+2 letters: cofounding, confounded, confounder.

+3 letters: confounders, confounding.

+4 letters: confoundedly, unconfounded.

+5 letters: confoundingly.