confound
/kən'faund/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb (transitive):
- To cause someone to become confused or perplexed: To make it difficult for someone to think clearly or understand something.
- To mistake one person or thing for another: To fail to correctly distinguish between two similar people or things.
- (Archaic/Exclamatory) To damn or express anger towards: Used as a mild oath to express annoyance or frustration.
Examples of Usage
- To cause confusion:
- The complex instructions confounded the new employees.
- His sudden change in attitude confounded everyone at the meeting.
- To mistake for another:
- I often confound the twins because they look so similar.
- Historians sometimes confound these two events from the same century.
- Exclamatory use:
- "Confound it! I've locked my keys in the car again."
Advanced Usage
- "to confound expectations": to act in a way that is surprising or contrary to what was predicted or assumed.
- The rookie player confounded expectations by winning the championship.
- "to confound the critics": to prove critics wrong through surprising success or action.
- The film's massive box office success confounded its early critics.
Variants and Related Words
- Confounded (adjective): Used to express annoyance. (e.g., )
- Confounding (adjective): Causing confusion or perplexity. (e.g., )
- Confoundment (noun): The state of being confounded; confusion. (This is a less common noun form.)
Synonyms
- Baffle: To confuse someone completely.
- Bewilder: To cause someone to become perplexed and confused.
- Perplex: To make someone feel completely puzzled.
- Flummox: (Informal) To perplex or bewilder.
- Nonplus: To surprise and confuse someone so much they are unsure how to react.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions
(Note: "Confound" is not typically used in standard phrasal verb constructions. Its combinations are more often seen in fixed phrases like those in "Advanced Usage.")
Related Idioms
- Confound you/him/them!: An exclamation of anger or irritation towards someone.
- "Confound you! That was my last piece of cake!"
- To confound right and wrong: To completely confuse or mix up moral principles.
- The propaganda sought to confound right and wrong in the public's mind.
Verb
- mistake one thing for another
- you are confusing me with the other candidate
- I mistook her for the secretary
- 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