Confound
/kənˈfaʊnd/
verbC1
Definition
Confound means to cause someone to feel confused or surprised because something is unexpected or hard to understand. It can also mean to prove an idea or plan wrong by showing it is not true or does not work.
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See It in Action
To confuse or puzzle someone strongly
- •The difficult question confounded the students.
- •The magician’s trick confounded the entire audience.
- •The instructions were so unclear they confounded me.
To prove something wrong or fail an expectation
- •The new evidence confounded the detective’s theory.
- •The results confounded the scientists’ predictions.
- •His success confounded those who doubted him.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "confound" like "confuse" (A2 word), but stronger and often with surprise or shock
- ✓Picture a puzzle that suddenly changes shape, making it harder to solve and leaving you puzzled
- ✓It's the feeling when someone says something you did not expect, and you don’t know how to respond
- ✓Sounds like "con-found" → imagine finding something that tricks you and makes you stop and think hard
- ✓In stories, a magician might confound the audience by doing a trick they cannot explain
- ✓NOT like "confuse" (can be small or simple), "confound" is often stronger and more surprising
- ✓NOT like "surprise" (only unexpected), "confound" includes confusion and being puzzled too
- ✓NOT like "prove" (show true), "confound" can mean to show someone’s idea is wrong or fails
Try Other Words
- •Puzzle: to make someone feel confused because something is hard to understand (Use when confusion is about difficulty to understand)
- •Baffle: to confuse someone completely (Use when confusion is strong and total)
- •Surprise: to cause someone to feel unexpected (Use when focus is on unexpectedness, less on confusion)
- •Disprove: to show that an idea or statement is wrong (Use when confound means proving wrong)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: prefix "con-" (together, with) + root "found" (related to "found" or "confuse" in older English)
- •Etymology: From Latin "confundere," meaning "to pour together, mix up, confuse"
- •Historical development: First used in English in the 15th century to mean confuse or mix up
- •Modern usage: Used to mean confuse, surprise, or prove wrong, often in formal or literary contexts
Reflect & Connect
•How can being confounded lead to new understanding or learning?
•Can something that confounds us also be exciting or helpful? Why or why not?
Fill in the blanks
1.The unexpected result confounded the scientists because it ___ their original idea completely.
2.When the magician performed the trick, he confounded the audience who ___ how it was done.
3.Confound is stronger than confuse because it often includes ___ or surprise.
4.The complex instructions confounded me, and I had to ___ them several times.
5.To confound a theory means to ___ it by showing it is not correct.
6.She was confounded ___ the sudden change in plans and did not know what to do next.
7.When something confounds you, it usually makes you stop and ___ carefully.