These words refer to a disordered emotional response to complex or puzzling experiences or events. Confuse is the most general of these and suggests the mildest disorientation: detailed directions that only served to confuse me further; confused by his sudden pendulum swings between exuberance and depression. The word may suggest only a temporary lack of equilibrium or resilience. Bewilder deepens the suggestions of confuse and adds a note of harried emotional discomfort: completely bewildered by the crossfire of conflicting commands shouted at him by his parents. The word suggests a disorientation that is longer lasting than confuse and that may paralyse one’s ability to choose or act coherently: She was so bewildered by his accusations that she sat down and cried. Confound suggests a complete and possibly intentional undoing of someone by contravening them at every point or by exposing them to unfriendly scrutiny or ridicule: an appeal for help that was utterly confounded by red tape and bureaucratic double talk.

Dumbfound and nonplus are closely related, both suggesting a momentary astonishment at some sudden occurrence or sharp retort. Dumbfound implies an acute emotional shock that leaves one speechless; nonplus suggests a more intellectual surprise at some irrational incongruence, leaving one unable to think clearly for a moment: He was dumbfounded at her insistence that he explain where every cent of his allowance had gone; nonplused by the strange costumes he saw everywhere in the bohemian section of the city.