Synonym Chooser

How does the verb discomfit contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of discomfit are abash, disconcert, embarrass, and rattle. While all these words mean "to distress by confusing or confounding," discomfit implies a hampering or frustrating accompanied by confusion.

hecklers discomfited the speaker

When is abash a more appropriate choice than discomfit?

In some situations, the words abash and discomfit are roughly equivalent. However, abash presupposes some initial self-confidence that receives a sudden check, producing shyness, shame, or a feeling of inferiority.

abashed by her swift and cutting retort

When could disconcert be used to replace discomfit?

The synonyms disconcert and discomfit are sometimes interchangeable, but disconcert implies an upsetting of equanimity or assurance producing uncertainty or hesitancy.

disconcerted by finding so many in attendance

When can embarrass be used instead of discomfit?

The words embarrass and discomfit can be used in similar contexts, but embarrass implies some influence that impedes thought, speech, or action.

the question embarrassed her so much she couldn't answer

In what contexts can rattle take the place of discomfit?

While in some cases nearly identical to discomfit, rattle implies an agitation that impairs thought and judgment.

rattled by all the television cameras

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of discomfit Greeley also faced vicious political attacks, discomfiting even for a man who was accustomed to controversy. Greg Daugherty, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Sep. 2024 Five city employees testified that Jacobs subjected them to unwanted, inappropriate or otherwise discomfiting physical contact at work, including a forcible kiss, massages, squeezes and tight hugs. Tom Dreisbach, NPR, 3 Sep. 2024 Such a radical dismantling of intellectual assumptions -- which are rooted in a seemingly ineradicable faith in progressive secularization -- would no doubt discomfit Anderson. Pankaj Mishra, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2013 Those passages were both discomfiting and electrifying. Roxana Robinson, TIME, 18 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for discomfit 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discomfit
Verb
  • According to a Newsweek report, a YouGov poll found that while many travelers support orderly deplaning, a large number are frustrated by passengers who block the aisle or slow down the process unnecessarily.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
  • Watkins looked up to the scoreboard, frustrated, as if to demand an answer.
    Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Trump called on Budde and the church to apologize for embarrassing him by allowing Budde to deliver a rare rebuke to his face.
    Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 2025
  • Funny Birthday Messages For Mom Happy birthday to the woman who gave me life – and plenty of embarrassing baby pictures!
    Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The legal process can be both daunting and baffling without the help of a lawyer to navigate the rules.
    Ben Wieder, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025
  • We may be baffled by a public that rejoiced in the baiting of bears.
    Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Activists on college campuses have confused the ability to occupy and disrupt physical space for the right to dissent verbally.
    Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2025
  • The employee recounted how the customer, seemingly annoyed, gestured under his chin in a manner that initially confused her.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • One area of concern among both parents and advertisers is safety, given the regularly disconcerting reports about inappropriate content being served to minors, sometimes with blue-chip ads attached, across the internet.
    Dade Hayes, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2025
  • Her face does a disconcerting twitch, eventually curving up into an unconvincing smile.
    Erin Qualey, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • In the playoffs, Spagnuolo dialed up a signature blitz that left Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo flustered.
    Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2025
  • There may have been some flustering over certain new additions to the Bridget Jones cast Wednesday night (ahem, looking at you, Leo Woodall and Chiwetel Ejiofor), but most of the love was thrown right at Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant.
    Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Jan. 2025

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Thesaurus Entries Near discomfit

Cite this Entry

“Discomfit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discomfit. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on discomfit

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