confound

• Verbe utilisé pour désigner une action qui provoque la surprise, la confusion ou la perplexité, ou pour démontrer la fausseté de quelque chose.

A verb used to indicate the act of causing surprise, confusion, or bewilderment, or to prove something wrong.

1. Confuse or bewilderC1formal

   To cause someone to become confused or unable to understand something.

   Déconcerter

   • The complex instructions confounded the new employees.
   • His strange behavior confounded everyone at the party.
   • The magician's trick confounded the audience completely.

   Synonymesbafflebemusebewilderconfusedumbfoundflummoxmystifynonplusperplexpuzzle

   Antonymesclarifyeducateenlightenexplainilluminate

2. Mix up or confuseC1formal

   To mistakenly treat one thing as another; to fail to distinguish between things.

   Confondre

   • He confounded the two similar-looking twins.
   • The witness confounded the dates of the events.
   • Don't confound correlation with causation.

   Synonymesconflateconfusemistakemix upmuddle

   Antonymesdifferentiatediscerndistinguishseparate

3. Defeat or frustrateC2formal

   To prove a plan or expectation wrong; to thwart.

   Déjouer, contrecarrer

   • The unexpected outcome confounded all predictions.
   • The team's strategy confounded their opponents.
   • The new evidence confounded the prosecution's case.

   Synonymesbafflebalkcounteractdefeatfoilfrustrateimpedethwart

   Antonymesadvanceaidassistfacilitatefurtherhelppromotesupport