confounding

[kon-foun-ding, kuhn-]

adjective

1. perplexing or bewildering.

   He’s hosting an evening of readings from some of the most sensational and confounding cases of Sherlock Holmes.

2. throwing someone or something into confusion or disorder.

   Still in shock, his wife broke the confounding news that their only son had been killed by a stray bullet.

3. Statistics.,  interacting with both the dependent and independent variables in an experiment or study, making it impossible to determine a causal effect between them.

   The authors list potential confounding factors, but it is not clear from the paper whether all of these were controlled for in the analyses.

noun

1. the act of perplexing, bewildering, causing confusion or disorder, etc..

   The Jaredite civilization is supposed to have formed in the wake of the miraculous confounding of languages at the Tower of Babel.

2. the act of treating or viewing different things as if they were the same.

   I have always found the confounding of Christmas and Hanukkah disturbing.

Other Word Forms

• confoundingly adverb
• unconfounding adjective
• unconfoundingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of confounding¹

First recorded in 1425–75; confound ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; confound ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses

Example Sentences

On a brutal, confounding decision from the Phillies reliever, that unleashed pandemonium inside Dodger Stadium.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"None of the studies have shown that giving Tylenol to babies is linked to a higher risk for autism once you can control for all the confounding variables," she said.

Read more on Barron's

A column that explores the most confusing, infuriating and confounding systems, appliances and aspects of your home.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

To her, Maggie’s willingness to be seen as a victim is confounding.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The paradox, revealed in a study of the country's latest cancer registry, tells a story at once simple and confounding.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• arresting 
• astonishing 
• bizarre 
• compelling 
• conspicuous 
• dazzling 
• eye-catching 
• fascinating 
• handsome 
• impressive 
• marked 
• memorable 
• noteworthy 
• noticeable 
• outstanding 
• powerful 
• remarkable 
• salient 
• singular 
• startling