confounded

/kənˈfaʊndɪd/ (bre, ipa) · /kənˈfaʊndɪd/ (ame, ipa) · /kən-ˈfau̇n-dəd (ˌ)kän-ˈfau̇n-, ˈkän-ˌfau̇n-/ (ame, mw)

confounded — adjective

  • confoundedpositive
  • more confoundedcomparative
  • most confoundedsuperlative

1. placed immediately before a noun as a mildly dated intensifier that conveys irri

1.形容詞B2
釋義

placed immediately before a noun as a mildly dated intensifier that conveys irritation or displeasure with the person or thing mentioned.

例句

That confounded dog has dug up all my roses again!

confounded + concrete noun (dog) expressing annoyance

Zara could not get the confounded printer to work no matter how hard she tried.

同義詞
  • damned

    stronger and more common; 'confounded' is milder and literary

  • blasted

    similar register, also old-fashioned; slightly stronger annoyance

  • blessed

    used ironically, less common as a swear substitute

文法句型

confounded + noun

用法筆記

Old-fashioned in modern English; younger speakers rarely use this word. It is only placed before a noun (attributive position) — you cannot say 'the dog is confounded' to mean it is annoying.

常見錯誤

❌I am confounded with this printer.
✅This confounded printer will not work.
💡As an exclamation of annoyance, 'confounded' must come before a noun, not after 'to be' with a person as the subject.
❌She felt confounded by the traffic.' (if you mean annoyed)
✅The confounded traffic made her late.
💡Use sense 2 (confused) if you want a predicative structure; for annoyance, use the attributive pattern 'confounded + noun'.

2. feeling or showing that you cannot understand something because it is too confus

2.形容詞B2
釋義

feeling or showing that you cannot understand something because it is too confusing, surprising, or complex.

例句

Theo looked completely confounded by the complicated bus timetable.

be confounded by [cause of confusion]

Pooja stared at the maths problem with a confounded expression on her face.

同義詞
  • bewildered

    stronger sense of being lost or disoriented

  • perplexed

    similar meaning but slightly more formal; implies a puzzling problem

  • baffled

    suggests complete inability to understand or explain

  • mystified

    implies something seems mysterious or inexplicable

反義詞

文法句型

be confounded by [cause of confusion]

look / feel / seem confounded

用法筆記

More common in formal or literary writing than in everyday conversation. Use 'confused' or 'puzzled' in casual speech. The cause of confusion is introduced by 'by' or 'at'.

常見錯誤

❌The problem confounded me.' (correct as a verb, but not an adjective)
✅I was confounded by the problem.
💡Use the 'be + confounded + by' pattern for the adjectival sense.
❌She felt very confounded with the instructions.
✅She felt very confounded by the instructions.
💡The correct preposition is 'by' to indicate the source of confusion, not 'with'.