confounded
Americanadjective
-
damned (used euphemistically).
That is a confounded lie.
- Synonyms:
- objectionable, execrable, damnable
adjective
-
bewildered; confused
-
informal (prenominal) execrable; damned
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of confounded
First recorded in Middle English; see origin at confound, -ed 2
Explanation
When you're confounded, you are confused. A confounded student might struggle with one question on a math test for twenty minutes. If a bird flies into your house through an open window and flaps around in a befuddled panic, it's confounded. A confounded taxi driver might take you in circles around your destination, and a confounded American might find himself unable to communicate with French waiters in Paris. Another, more British way to use the adjective confounded is as a mild oath, to emphasize annoyance: "I can't take any more of your confounded noise!"
Vocabulary lists containing confounded
In a Pickle: Words for When You're in Trouble
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The Crucible
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Joan Biskupic’s reported piece in CNN this week, about the chief justice’s very extremely bad summer, bears the slightly misleading title “John Roberts Remains Confounded by Donald Trump as Election Approaches.”
From Slate • Oct. 11, 2024
Confounded, Miller decided to try something radical: He began ordering lung biopsies under general anesthesia to look for more subtle damage known as small-airways disease.
From New York Times • Jan. 11, 2022
Confounded lawmakers in both parties urged Trump to either put up evidence or recant his claim.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2017
Confounded by the sheriff’s long-standing contempt for his lawful orders, Judge Snow last week threw up his hands.
From Washington Post • Aug. 25, 2016
Confounded, we stood at the bottom of the summit and looked at each other.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
