confound
gb/kənfˈaʊnd/ us/kənfˈaʊnd/
C1
English
~ 9300
összezavar, zavarba ejt, rácáfol, meghazudtol, konfundál, összekeveri a hatásokat, összetéveszt, összekever, átkoz, elátkoz
VERB
C1
FORMAL
1
összezavar
B2
zavarba ejt
B2
Usage pattern:
to confound [someone] / to be confounded by [something]
The sudden change in his attitude confounded everyone in the office.
A hozzáállásában bekövetkezett hirtelen változás mindenkit összezavart az irodában.
Her calm reaction to the bad news confounded her friends, who had expected her to cry.
A rossz hírre adott nyugodt reakciója zavarba ejtette a barátait, akik arra számítottak, hogy sírni fog.
The novel’s shifting timelines may initially confound the reader.
The team was completely confounded by the opponent’s unusual strategy.
I was confounded by the sheer number of options on the form.
Learner examples
The new rules confounded many workers.
Az új szabályok sok dolgozót összezavartak.
The teacher’s fast explanation confounded the students.
A tanár gyors magyarázata összezavarta a diákokat.
I was confounded by the strange question.
His answer confounded me, and I did not know what to say.
The film’s ending confounded the audience.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"I am confound"* instead of *"I am confounded"* or *"I am confused"*. Use the past participle: *"was confounded by"* or the adjective *"confused"*. Also, "confound" is more formal; in everyday speech, "confuse" is more common.
Meaning
to greatly confuse or puzzle
Collocations
utterly confound
|completely confound
|confound the reader
|confound the audience
|leave [someone] confounded
Synonyms
bewilder (Suggests someone is left mentally lost or turning in circles, often slightly stronger emotionally than "confound".)
|
perplex (Very close in meaning; often slightly more formal and focused on intellectual difficulty.)
Antonyms
clarify (Means to make something easier to understand, the opposite of causing confusion.)
|
enlighten (Means to give someone clear understanding or knowledge, undoing confusion.)
Themes
thinking
|communication
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To make someone feel very confused so that they do not understand what is happening or why.
To cause someone to feel great confusion so that they cannot easily understand or explain something.
C1
FORMAL
2
rácáfol
B2
meghazudtol
C1
Usage pattern:
to confound [someone’s] expectations / to confound [the critics, experts, doubters]
The small startup confounded expectations by becoming profitable in its first year.
A kis startup rácáfolt a várakozásokra azzal, hogy már az első évében nyereségessé vált.
Her election to the board confounded critics who had dismissed her as inexperienced.
Az igazgatótanácsba való megválasztása rácáfolt azoknak a bírálóknak a véleményére, akik tapasztalatlannak tartották.
The experiment’s results confounded predictions based on earlier studies.
The athlete confounded his doubters with a record-breaking performance.
This rapid growth has confounded even the most optimistic forecasts.
Learner examples
The team’s win confounded expectations.
A csapat győzelme rácáfolt a várakozásokra.
His success confounded people who thought he would fail.
A sikere rácáfolt azok véleményére, akik azt hitték, hogy el fog bukni.
The results confounded the experts.
The company’s fast growth confounded its rivals.
Her calm, clear speech confounded her critics.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this sense with simple confusion and translate it as just "to confuse." In this meaning, *"confound"* usually takes abstract objects like *"expectations," "predictions," "critics"*, and it carries the idea of **proving them wrong**, not just making them unclear.
Meaning
to prove expectations or predictions wrong
Collocations
confound expectations
|confound predictions
|confound the critics
|confound the experts
|confound his doubters
Synonyms
defy (Emphasizes going strongly against what was expected or usual, often with a brave or bold feeling.)
|
disprove (Focuses on showing that an idea or claim is not true; more technical and less about emotional surprise than "confound".)
Antonyms
confirm (Means to show that expectations or predictions were correct, the opposite of proving them wrong.)
Themes
thinking
|media
|success
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To do something very different from what people expected, so their ideas or predictions are shown to be wrong.
To surprise or defeat expectations, predictions, or critics by behaving in a way that clearly shows they were wrong.
VERB
C2
TECHNICAL
3
Usage pattern:
[factor] confounds [results / variable]
Age can confound the results if it is not properly controlled in the study design.
Az életkor konfundálhatja az eredményeket, ha ezt nem kontrollálják megfelelően a kutatási tervben.
Smoking status may confound the relationship between exercise and heart disease.
A dohányzási státusz konfundálhatja a testmozgás és a szívbetegség közötti kapcsolatot.
The researchers adjusted for variables that could confound the association they were testing.
Unmeasured lifestyle factors may still confound the trial’s findings.
Failure to randomize participants can seriously confound the conclusions of an experiment.
Learner examples
If we do not control age, it may confound the results.
Ha nem kontrolláljuk az életkort, az konfundálhatja az eredményeket.
Other health problems can confound the study’s findings.
Más egészségügyi problémák konfundálhatják a vizsgálat eredményeit.
The new drug’s effect is confounded by the small sample size.
Many outside factors can confound this kind of research.
They worried that diet would confound the results of the test.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think a "confounding variable" is just a "confusing" variable in a general sense. In statistics it specifically means a variable that is related to both the cause and the outcome and therefore mixes or hides the true effect.
Meaning
to mix up variables in research
Collocations
confounding variable
|confounding factor
|factors that confound the results
|confound the analysis
|confound the findings
Synonyms
distort (Highlights that the results are bent away from the true value; less specific to statistics than "confound".)
|
obscure (Emphasizes that the true relationship is hidden or made hard to see.)
Antonyms
control (In research, to keep a factor constant so it does not change the results, the opposite of allowing it to confound them.)
Themes
science
|statistics
|research
|education
Definition
In studies or experiments, to make it hard to see what really causes a result because one thing’s effect is mixed with another thing’s effect.
In research or statistics, to mix the effect of one factor with another so that their separate influences on the result cannot be clearly distinguished.
VERB
C2
FORMAL
4
összetéveszt
B1
összekever
B1
Usage pattern:
to confound [A] with [B]
These two legal concepts should not be confounded with one another.
Ezt a két jogi fogalmat nem szabad egymással összetéveszteni.
Freedom of speech is often confounded with freedom from criticism.
A szólásszabadságot gyakran összetévesztik a kritikától való mentességgel.
The two species are frequently confounded because they look so similar.
Cost is sometimes confounded with value in public debates.
In popular writing, risk is regularly confounded with uncertainty.
Learner examples
Price is often confounded with quality.
Az árat gyakran összetévesztik a minőséggel.
These two words are often confounded by learners.
A tanulók gyakran összetévesztik ezt a két szót.
Happiness should not be confounded with money.
The two ideas are similar, but do not confound them.
Her name was confounded with her sister’s name.
Common mistake:
Learners may say *"confound A for B"* by analogy with *"mistake A for B"*. The usual pattern with "confound" is *"confound A with B"*.
Meaning
to mix up two things
Collocations
confound A with B
|easily confounded
|frequently confounded with
|must not be confounded with
Synonyms
confuse (The everyday word; it can be used in more situations, while "confound" here is mainly formal and written.)
|
mistake (Often used in the phrase "mistake A for B"; slightly less formal than "confound A with B".)
Antonyms
distinguish (Means to see or show the difference between things, the opposite of mixing them up.)
Themes
thinking
|language
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To think that one thing is another thing, or to mix two things in your mind so you do not see the difference.
To wrongly treat two different things, people, or ideas as if they were the same; to confuse them with each other.
VERB
C2
LITERARY
5
Usage pattern:
"Confound [it / you / them]!" / "May [something] confound [someone]!"
"Confound it!" he muttered as the engine stalled again.
„A fene egye meg!” mormolta, amikor a motor megint lefulladt.
"May misfortune confound our enemies," the general declared in the novel.
„Átok sújtsa ellenségeinket” — jelentette ki a tábornok a regényben.
"Confound you," she said under her breath, slamming the door.
In the play, the old man cries, "Confound these useless machines!"
"Confound their schemes," the king exclaimed, refusing to sign the treaty.
Learner examples
In the old movie, a man shouts, "Confound it!" when his car stops.
A régi filmben egy férfi azt kiáltja: „A fene egye meg!”, amikor megáll az autója.
The book has a character who says, "Confound you" when he is angry.
A könyvben van egy szereplő, aki azt mondja: „Átkozott légy!”, amikor mérges.
The angry king says, "Confound their plans!" in the story.
This kind of "confound" is old and literary; people do not say it in daily life.
The writer uses "Confound it" instead of a strong bad word.
Common mistake:
Learners may think this sense is common today. In modern everyday English, people almost never say *"Confound it!"*; they use other, often stronger, exclamations instead. This use is mostly found in older books or in writing that imitates them.
Meaning
to curse or wish harm on
Collocations
confound it
|confound you
|may God confound
|confound their plans
Synonyms
damn (A more common modern curse word; usually harsher and more direct than the old-fashioned "confound" in this sense.)
Antonyms
bless (Means to wish good things or protection for someone, the opposite of cursing them.)
Themes
emotions
|literature
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To say in an old, polite-sounding way that you are angry with someone or something and you want trouble for them, like a mild curse.
To curse or express a wish that someone or something be frustrated, harmed, or ruined, now mainly in old-fashioned or literary language and set phrases.
Grammar
Dictionary form
confound
IPA
GB/kənfˈaʊnd/
US/kənfˈaʊnd/
Syllables & stress
con - found (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (found)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: confound
- 3rd Person Singular: confounds
- Present Participle: confounding
- Past: confounded
Word family
Forms
confounds
verb
confounding
verb
confounded
verb
Core family
confounder
noun C1
Advanced or less common
confoundingly
adverb
Expressions
be confounded by
1/bˈi kənfˈaʊndɪd bˈaɪ/
fixed phrase
formal
to be greatly puzzled by
To feel very confused because of something and not understand it.
Examples
- I was confounded by the sudden change in his behaviour.
- Many readers are confounded by the book’s non‑linear structure.
confound expectations
1/kənfˈaʊnd ˌɛkspɛktˈeɪʃənz/
fixed phrase
formal
to prove expectations wrong
To do something very different from what people expected, so their expectations are shown to be wrong.
Examples
- The film confounded expectations by becoming a global hit despite its tiny budget.
- Her quiet but brilliant performance confounded expectations about first‑time actors.
confound it
1/kənfˈaʊnd ˈɪt/
idiom
literary
old-fashioned cry of annoyance
An old, polite-sounding way to shout when you are angry or annoyed, similar to saying "Damn it" but less strong.
Examples
- "Confound it!" he cried as the glass slipped from his hand and broke on the floor.
- "Confound it, I’m late again," the old gentleman muttered, checking his watch.
confounding variable
1/kənfˈaʊndɪŋ vˈɛɹiəbəl/
fixed phrase
technical
hidden factor affecting study results
In research, a changing thing that affects the result and makes it hard to know if another thing is really the cause.
Examples
- Age can act as a confounding variable in medical studies if it is not controlled.
- The researchers adjusted for several confounding variables, including income and education.