confounded

1 of 2

adjective

con·​found·​ed kən-ˈfau̇n-dəd How to pronounce confounded (audio)
(ˌ)kän-ˈfau̇n-, 
ˈkän-ˌfau̇n-
Synonyms of confounded
1
: confused entry 1, perplexed
2
: very bad or annoying : damnable
I can't close this confounded window.
confoundedly adverb

confounded

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of confound

Synonyms of confounded

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Adjective

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Examples of confounded in a Sentence

Adjective I can't close this confounded window! that confounded dog chewed up my shoe
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Adjective
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

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English confunded, confounded, from past participle of confounden "to confound"

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of confounded was in the 14th century

Rhymes for confounded

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Browse Nearby Words

confound
confounded
confoundedly
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Cite this Entry

“Confounded.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confounded. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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