as in discouraging
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Dissimilar Words
as in frustrating
to lessen the courage or confidence of
the raging inferno didn't daunt the firefighters for a moment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of daunting
Kylea Henseler, Outside, 9 Jan. 2026
Also known as Mısır Çarşısı or the Egyptian Bazaar, this busy market is slightly less daunting and touristy than the Grand Bazaar next door.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Jan. 2026
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 30 Dec. 2025
Shopping right after the holidays can feel daunting.
—Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 28 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for daunting
Adjective
Telluride Ski Resort, located in the jagged San Juan mountains of Western Colorado, has some of the state’s most daunting terrain.
—Kylea Henseler, Outside, 9 Jan. 2026
Also known as Mısır Çarşısı or the Egyptian Bazaar, this busy market is slightly less daunting and touristy than the Grand Bazaar next door.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
Now, first-year coach David Adelman is tasked with navigating them through a daunting series of short- and long-term obstacles.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 30 Dec. 2025
Shopping right after the holidays can feel daunting.
—Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 28 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for daunting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for daunting
Adjective
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Their status has been diminished by what has — charitably — been a really discouraging decade, featuring two separate relegations.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
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High taxes squeeze margins and send a discouraging signal to firms.—
Andrew Rein,
New York Daily News,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Mack and the Chargers’ defense pressured quarterbacks Jalen Hurts of the Eagles and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs, frustrating them and keeping them out of their comfort zones.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
20 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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But there was one section of the Trust Act that was troublesome.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
15 Jan. 2026
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Now his troublesome elbow will keep him out for all of 2026 as Darvish in October underwent both an internal brace procedure on his ulnar collateral ligament and a flexor tendon repair.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Democratic leaders actually were troubled by Mamdani’s rise (although their preference for a disgraced former governor was equally dismaying), but Democratic voters handed Mamdani a solid victory despite his radical positions.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
28 Nov. 2025
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On top of this dismaying thought comes the realization that the AI is available 24x7 and at a low cost or perhaps even free.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Cellos and basses may be rumbling along on a frighteningly low melody, as the woodwinds are pecking like a riot in a chicken coop, while the high strings are sustaining a cluster of odd, disconcerting notes.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
29 Dec. 2025
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The macro view is more disconcerting.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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To vocalize the belief that the lawsuit was partisan politics instead of concerned citizens speaking up, is very disheartening.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
7 Jan. 2026
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And if that weren’t bad enough, Kansas City got some disheartening injury news after the game that will make quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ life even more difficult.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Some might take issue that actual recordings get used, but given the message this expertly made film so emphatically presents, that haunting voice makes the film all that more powerful, meaningful and dispiriting.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
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In Week 16, Detroit had a first and goal from the 1-yard line in the final seconds against the Pittsburgh Steelers but failed to score the go-ahead touchdown in a dispiriting loss.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC news,
26 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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So, very demoralizing, devastating to lose anyone’s life, especially in that manner.—
Nick Friedell,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
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Winfrey shared the demoralizing experience in her 2017 cookbook, Food, Health, and Happiness.—
Avalon Hester,
PEOPLE,
31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Daunting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/daunting. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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