Confound Meaning
/kənˈfaʊnd/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo perplex or puzzle.
verbTo stun or amaze.
Sentence Examples
When in doubt tell the truth. It will confound your enemies and astound your friends.
Don't confound the situation by yelling.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The magician's trick will ____ the audience by making a coin disappear completely.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The unexpected test results continue to ____ the researchers working on the vaccine.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"And the brother of Jared being a large and mighty man, and a man highly favored of the Lord, Jared, his brother, said unto him: Cry unto the Lord, that he will not confound us that we may not understand our words."
— 1830, Joseph Smith, Jr., Book of Mormon: Ether, i, 34:
"The fightback when it came was in the [Roger] Federer fashion: unfussy, filled with classy strokes from the back with perfectly timed interventions at the net that confounded his opponent. The third set passed in a bit of a blur, the fourth, which led to the second tie-break, was the most dramatic of the match."
— 2012 June 29, Kevin Mitchell, “Roger Federer back from Wimbledon 2012 brink to beat Julien Benneteau”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 15 Nov 2016:
"They vvho leſſe ſeriouſly conſider the force of vvords, doe ſometimes confound Lavv vvith Counſell, ſometimes vvith Covenant, ſometimes vvith Right. They confound Lavv vvith Counſel, vvho think, that it is the duty of Monarchs not onely to give ear to their Counſellours, but alſo to obey them, as though it vvere in vaine to take Counſell, unleſſe it vvere alſo follovved."
— 1651, Tho[mas] Hobbes, “[Dominion.] Chapter XIV. Of Lawes and Trespasses.”, in Philosophicall Rudiments Concerning Government and Society. […], London: […] J[ohn] G[rismond] for R[ichard] Royston, […], →OCLC, page 210:
"While she had obeyed him, smiling sweetly all the time, she had nursed a growing resentment of what she called his "Latin American macho attitude." To confound the problem, his mother, who lived with them on and off, was described by the wife as being as domineering as her son."
— 1983, Carol M. Anderson, Susan Stewart, Mastering Resistance: A Practical Guide to Family Therapy:
"There the freſh and ſalt water would meete and be confounded together, […]"
— 1611, Coryat, Crudities, volume I, page 195:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The magician's trick will ____ the audience by making a coin disappear completely.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The unexpected test results continue to ____ the researchers working on the vaccine.