Confound
verb
To cause surprise or confusion in someone, especially by not behaving in the way they expect.
His sudden resignation confounded political pundits.
Often appears as...
- confound expectations
- confound belief
verb
To mix up something with something else, so the individual elements become difficult to distinguish.
Be careful not to confound the different chemical components.
Often appears as...
- confound categories
- confound variables
Usage tips
Technical
verb
To make a situation or problem more difficult to understand or deal with.
The issue is confounded by a number of other factors.
Often appears as...
- confound the problem
- confound the situation
Usage tips
Academic
verb
To defeat or overthrow someone, especially an enemy.
The army confounded their enemies with their unexpected strategy.
Often appears as...
- confound enemies
- confound opponents
Usage tips
Formal
Literary
verb
To prove someone or their argument wrong.
His theories were ultimately confounded by the evidence.
Often appears as...
- confound the theory
- confound the hypothesis
Usage tips
Academic
verb
To cause surprise or confusion in someone, especially by not behaving in the way they expect.
His sudden resignation confounded political pundits.
Often appears as...
- confound expectations
- confound belief
verb
To mix up something with something else, so the individual elements become difficult to distinguish.
Be careful not to confound the different chemical components.
Often appears as...
- confound categories
- confound variables
Usage tips
Technical
verb
To make a situation or problem more difficult to understand or deal with.
The issue is confounded by a number of other factors.
Often appears as...
- confound the problem
- confound the situation
Usage tips
Academic
verb
To defeat or overthrow someone, especially an enemy.
The army confounded their enemies with their unexpected strategy.
Often appears as...
- confound enemies
- confound opponents
Usage tips
Formal
Literary
verb
To prove someone or their argument wrong.
His theories were ultimately confounded by the evidence.
Often appears as...
- confound the theory
- confound the hypothesis
Usage tips
Academic
Definition 1 of 5
Pro Tip 1/2Unexpected Behavior
Use 'confound' when someone acts against what others predict or foresee.
She confounded her critics by donating her entire fortune to charity.
Pro Tip 2/2Sudden Surprise
Conveys a strong and often immediate feeling of surprise or disbelief.
His ability to solve complex problems so quickly completely confounded me.
Pro Tip 1/2Unexpected Behavior
Use 'confound' when someone acts against what others predict or foresee.
She confounded her critics by donating her entire fortune to charity.
Pro Tip 2/2Sudden Surprise
Conveys a strong and often immediate feeling of surprise or disbelief.
His ability to solve complex problems so quickly completely confounded me.
Pro Tip 1/2Unexpected Behavior
Use 'confound' when someone acts against what others predict or foresee.
She confounded her critics by donating her entire fortune to charity.
Pro Tip 2/2Sudden Surprise
Conveys a strong and often immediate feeling of surprise or disbelief.
His ability to solve complex problems so quickly completely confounded me.
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Video examples
Underwater on Bermuda’s...
a shipwreck they form an integral part of our national identity it's one of the Bermudas most iconic shipwrecks there's actually two shipwrecks laid on top of each other you have the constellation that came afterwards in the Montana the debris from the constellation is washed right through the center of this shipwreck so you have a very confounding
Video examples
Lessons from the longest...
on school tests later in their lives. And not just tests of reading, but tests of spelling and maths as well. This study tried to control for all the confounding factors, so it looked at children who were equally intelligent and from the same social-class background, so it seemed as if it was the reading which really helped those children
Video examples
How to change your...
So this is what we call a "confounded design." Two things are happening at the same time. It's branded versus generic, but it's doing nothing versus doing something. So I said, "Why don't we switch it? Why don't we send people a letter and say, 'We're switching you to generics. You don't need to do anything.
Video examples
Wolverine Research Isn’t...
Wolverine and it's a great scat tons of hair and they're in bone but the really confounding thing is this probably can't see it this red blob in here that was attached to the scat and we're just left to speculate on what that is we've got Jason with us who is a world-renowned
Video examples
What makes a language......
Oftentimes, forms of speech exist on a kind of linguistic continuum where they overlap with others, and the differences between them are gradual— not clear cut. And that’s the confounding beauty of the dynamic, diverse, and dazzling universe of human communication.
Video examples
Laura Schulz: The...
what squeaks and what doesn't, what to explore and what to ignore. Let me show you another example now, this time about a problem of causal reasoning. And it starts with a problem of confounded evidence that all of us have, which is that we are part of the world.
Video examples
In praise of conflict PIPE...
or perhaps knock some competitors out of the market. Nor can companies agree to do certain things, for example raise the prices of their unhealthy products, because that would violate competition law, as we've established. So our governments should not confound
Video examples
Jennifer Senior: For...
It would probably be easier for parents to do their new roles if they knew what they were preparing their kids for. This is yet another thing that makes modern parenting so very confounding. We have no clue what portion our wisdom, if any,
Video examples
C.K. Williams: Poetry...
sometimes I think I confound them. My wife's loveliness almost consumes me. My passion for her goes beyond reasonable bounds. When we make love, her holding me everywhere all around me,
Video examples
Colin Grant: The son of...
you conform to the host nation's stereotype of you, of being feckless, work-shy, destined for a life of crime. You are being watched, so confound their expectations of you.
Video examples
Underwater on Bermuda’s...
a shipwreck they form an integral part of our national identity it's one of the Bermudas most iconic shipwrecks there's actually two shipwrecks laid on top of each other you have the constellation that came afterwards in the Montana the debris from the constellation is washed right through the center of this shipwreck so you have a very confounding
Video examples
Lessons from the longest...
on school tests later in their lives. And not just tests of reading, but tests of spelling and maths as well. This study tried to control for all the confounding factors, so it looked at children who were equally intelligent and from the same social-class background, so it seemed as if it was the reading which really helped those children
Video examples
How to change your...
So this is what we call a "confounded design." Two things are happening at the same time. It's branded versus generic, but it's doing nothing versus doing something. So I said, "Why don't we switch it? Why don't we send people a letter and say, 'We're switching you to generics. You don't need to do anything.
Video examples
Wolverine Research Isn’t...
Wolverine and it's a great scat tons of hair and they're in bone but the really confounding thing is this probably can't see it this red blob in here that was attached to the scat and we're just left to speculate on what that is we've got Jason with us who is a world-renowned
Video examples
What makes a language......
Oftentimes, forms of speech exist on a kind of linguistic continuum where they overlap with others, and the differences between them are gradual— not clear cut. And that’s the confounding beauty of the dynamic, diverse, and dazzling universe of human communication.
Video examples
Laura Schulz: The...
what squeaks and what doesn't, what to explore and what to ignore. Let me show you another example now, this time about a problem of causal reasoning. And it starts with a problem of confounded evidence that all of us have, which is that we are part of the world.
Video examples
In praise of conflict PIPE...
or perhaps knock some competitors out of the market. Nor can companies agree to do certain things, for example raise the prices of their unhealthy products, because that would violate competition law, as we've established. So our governments should not confound
Video examples
Jennifer Senior: For...
It would probably be easier for parents to do their new roles if they knew what they were preparing their kids for. This is yet another thing that makes modern parenting so very confounding. We have no clue what portion our wisdom, if any,
Video examples
C.K. Williams: Poetry...
sometimes I think I confound them. My wife's loveliness almost consumes me. My passion for her goes beyond reasonable bounds. When we make love, her holding me everywhere all around me,
Video examples
Colin Grant: The son of...
you conform to the host nation's stereotype of you, of being feckless, work-shy, destined for a life of crime. You are being watched, so confound their expectations of you.
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Marian Keyes
Irish Writer
When I first met my husband, he had a very good job - company car, pension plan, grudging respect from his staff - the lot. I, on the other hand, was badly paid and devoid of ambition. Then I had a couple of books published and confounded all expectations by starting to earn more than he did.
Quote examples
Shaun Tan
Australian Artist
You discover how confounding the world is when you try to draw it. You look at a car, and you try to see its car-ness, and you're like an immigrant to your own world. You don't have to travel to encounter weirdness. You wake up to it.
Quote examples
Giraldus Cambrensis
Welsh Clergyman
Evil borders upon good, and vices are confounded with virtues; as the report of good qualities is delightful to a well-disposed mind, so the relation of the contrary should not be offensive.
Quote examples
Homer
Greek Poet
There is nothing nobler or more admirable than when two people who see eye to eye keep house as man and wife, confounding their enemies and delighting their friends.
Quote examples
Genesis P-Orridge
English Musician
If we confound and break up the proposed unfolding the world impresses upon us, we can give ourselves the space to consider what we want to be as a species.
Quote examples
Henry Miller
American Author
The Teutons have been singing the swan song ever since they entered the ranks of history. They have always confounded truth with death.
Quote examples
Zoe Lister-Jones
American Actress
In my view, relationship movies never get old because humanity will never not be confounded by their relationships.
Quote examples
Kit Williams
Author
You see, my ambition was not to confound the engineering world but simply to create a beautiful piece of art.
Quote examples
Henry Wotton
English Author
Tell the truth so as to puzzle and confound your adversaries.
Quote examples
Francis of Assisi
Italian Saint
Holy wisdom confounds Satan and all his wickednesses.
Quote examples
Marian Keyes
Irish Writer
When I first met my husband, he had a very good job - company car, pension plan, grudging respect from his staff - the lot. I, on the other hand, was badly paid and devoid of ambition. Then I had a couple of books published and confounded all expectations by starting to earn more than he did.
Quote examples
Shaun Tan
Australian Artist
You discover how confounding the world is when you try to draw it. You look at a car, and you try to see its car-ness, and you're like an immigrant to your own world. You don't have to travel to encounter weirdness. You wake up to it.
Quote examples
Giraldus Cambrensis
Welsh Clergyman
Evil borders upon good, and vices are confounded with virtues; as the report of good qualities is delightful to a well-disposed mind, so the relation of the contrary should not be offensive.
Quote examples
Homer
Greek Poet
There is nothing nobler or more admirable than when two people who see eye to eye keep house as man and wife, confounding their enemies and delighting their friends.
Quote examples
Genesis P-Orridge
English Musician
If we confound and break up the proposed unfolding the world impresses upon us, we can give ourselves the space to consider what we want to be as a species.
Quote examples
Henry Miller
American Author
The Teutons have been singing the swan song ever since they entered the ranks of history. They have always confounded truth with death.
Quote examples
Zoe Lister-Jones
American Actress
In my view, relationship movies never get old because humanity will never not be confounded by their relationships.
Quote examples
Kit Williams
Author
You see, my ambition was not to confound the engineering world but simply to create a beautiful piece of art.
Quote examples
Henry Wotton
English Author
Tell the truth so as to puzzle and confound your adversaries.
Quote examples
Francis of Assisi
Italian Saint
Holy wisdom confounds Satan and all his wickednesses.
Example 1 of 10
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