confound

/kənˈfaʊnd/ (bre, ipa) · /kənˈfaʊnd/ (ame, ipa) · /kən-ˈfau̇nd kän-/ (ame, mw)

confound — 動詞

  • confoundpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • confoundshe / she / it
  • confoundedpast simple
  • confounding-ing form

1. to cause someone to feel completely confused and shocked because something unexp

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

使困惑；震驚

因意外而無法理解或應對

to cause someone to feel completely confused and shocked because something unexpected happens that they cannot understand or explain

例句

The sudden change in company policy confounded everyone in the office.

公司政策的突然改變使辦公室裡的每個人都困惑不已。

passive-like use: confounded + everyone as object

Eri's unexpected decision to quit her job confounded her colleagues.

Eri 突然決定辭職，令她的同事們大感震驚。

confound + someone's decision as subject

同義詞
  • perplex

    similar meaning but without the element of shock; 'perplex' is purely about confusion

  • bewilder

    stronger sense of being lost or unable to think clearly; less formal than confound

  • dumbfound

    emphasises the surprise/astonishment element; more informal and vivid

反義詞
  • clarify

    to make something clear and understandable, the opposite of confusing

文法句型

confound + someone

be confounded by + something

用法筆記

Frequently used in the passive voice (be confounded by). The subject of the active form is typically an event, situation, or piece of information — not a person trying to confuse someone on purpose.

常見錯誤

❌The teacher confounded the students by giving a hard test.' (sounds like the teacher intended to confuse them).
✅The students were confounded by the teacher's unusually hard test.
💡confound describes a reaction to something unexpected, not a deliberate action by a person.

2. to affect the outcome of a scientific study by introducing an unwanted variable,

2.動詞及物C2
釋義

干擾；混淆

引入變因使實驗結果不明確

to affect the outcome of a scientific study by introducing an unwanted variable, so that it is no longer clear whether the factor being tested actually caused the observed result

例句

Differences in room temperature between the two groups confounded the drug trial results.

兩組受試者之間室溫的差異干擾了藥物試驗的結果。

confound + [study/results] in active voice

Researchers must control for age and gender, as these factors can confound the findings.

研究人員必須控制年齡和性別，因為這些因素可能會混淆研究結果。

can confound (modal + infinitive)

同義詞
  • distort

    stronger implication that the result is made incorrect; confound suggests the result becomes unclear rather than wrong

  • skew

    suggests the result is pulled in a particular direction; informal compared to confound

文法句型

confound + a study / result / experiment

confound + the relationship between X and Y

用法筆記

Almost exclusively used in academic writing about experiments, studies, and statistical analysis. The confounding factor (the unwanted variable) is typically the subject of the active verb. The passive is less common in this sense than in sense 1.

常見錯誤

❌The weather confounded our picnic.' (casual context — use sense 1 instead).
✅Differences in weather confounded the agricultural experiment.
💡sense 2 requires a formal, scientific context.

3. to prove that a statement, belief, or prediction is false by presenting clear ev

3.動詞及物C2
釋義

推翻；駁斥

以證據證明某觀點錯誤

to prove that a statement, belief, or prediction is false by presenting clear evidence against it

例句

The new fossil discovery confounded the long-held theory about bird evolution.

新的化石發現推翻了長期以來關於鳥類演化的理論。

confound + a theory / belief / claim

Xiu's investigation confounded the popular belief that the painting was a fake.

Xiu 的調查駁斥了那幅畫是贗品的普遍說法。

confound + belief as object

同義詞
  • refute

    more direct synonym; refute focuses on logical argument while confound can include surprising discovery

  • disprove

    more common in everyday language; both mean showing something is false

  • debunk

    informal; used especially for exposing popular myths or false beliefs

反義詞
  • confirm

    to show that a belief or claim is true

  • support

    to provide evidence in favour of a claim

文法句型

confound + a claim / belief / argument

confound + someone (their prediction or expectation)

用法筆記

The object is usually an abstract noun (theory, belief, claim, prediction) rather than a person. When a person is the object, the sense overlaps with 'prove someone wrong in their specific claim' rather than 'confuse them.'

常見錯誤

❌She confounded his argument by shouting.' (shouting is not evidence).
✅She confounded his argument with new data from the study.
💡confound requires evidence, not emotion.