as in embarrassing
causing embarrassment
the discomfiting scrutiny of an audience of music critics
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in frustrating
to prevent from achieving a goal
constant interruptions discomfited her in her attempt to finish the speech, and she finally gave up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in confusing
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress
he was discomfited by the awkward situation of having his ex-girlfriend meet his current one
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of discomfiting
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
The experience was deeply discomfiting for Burt.
—Sarah Weinman, Rolling Stone, 9 Nov. 2025
More generally, Europeans' personal happiness levels have seemingly gravitated away from church and children, the traditional sources of meaning, and toward a discomfiting positive correlation with the size of a nation's welfare state.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
These narrative episodes are well-cast and discomfiting, if not entirely convincing.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Aug. 2025
Blake Simons, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
The material can be discomfiting to take in, but Ronan anchors Maria’s every move in the character’s stubborn belief that her actions are well intentioned.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Macfadyen especially allows Guiteau to walk a challenging tightrope, discomfiting and intensely unlikable but never exactly unmoored from reality, never too far gone into easy, inhuman evil.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
The experience was deeply discomfiting for Burt.
—Sarah Weinman, Rolling Stone, 9 Nov. 2025
More generally, Europeans' personal happiness levels have seemingly gravitated away from church and children, the traditional sources of meaning, and toward a discomfiting positive correlation with the size of a nation's welfare state.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
These narrative episodes are well-cast and discomfiting, if not entirely convincing.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
Scenes are rendered with an diorama-esque economy of mise en scene that feels unreal, almost game-like — an aesthetic met with meaning in the film’s final act — and Nagahisa and Takeda take every opportunity to present the city from a different, often discomfiting angle.
—Blake Simons, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
The material can be discomfiting to take in, but Ronan anchors Maria’s every move in the character’s stubborn belief that her actions are well intentioned.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discomfiting
Adjective
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To be honest, even with the public spectacle of a trial now taken off CAA’s plate, most of Musero’s case had been trimmed back in June last year (see below), so a lot of what could have taken place on the record and in public would have been somewhere between embarrassing and performative.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
10 Mar. 2026
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The reasons for this cautious response are many, ranging from the precarious diplomatic implications of the conflict, disruptions to its energy security, and the embarrassing implications of allowing an ally to be destroyed.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Mar. 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
Verb
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But the notice sent last spring was so vague and confusing that few people used it to object.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The company’s messaging has been confusing and has at various points seemed to contradict its own previous statements, as well as information from the government.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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And second, there’s the audience’s uncomfortable tingle of recognition watching Vladimir Putin’s tightening stranglehold on the Russian press.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Fortunately, there are many people who care enough about ballet to face these uncomfortable truths, and who are working to bring ballet into the twenty-first century by challenging traditions that don’t serve dancers’ health or the long-term health of the artform.—
Chloe Angyal,
Time,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Though still fuming from his team’s baffling loss to the Bulls – the Warriors squandered an eight-point lead with 91 seconds remaining – Kerr found his composure long enough to crack a joke.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Georgia basketball’s matchup with Tennessee ended in baffling fashion Wednesday night.—
Olivia Sayer,
AJC.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
There’s a lot of disconcerting news about AI in journalism lately.—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The news is disconcerting for nearby residents like Moody.—
Olivia Young,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Our awkward hero copes with grief through humor while navigating relationships with her type-A sister (Sian Clifford), her nasty stepmother (Olivia Colman), and, in season 2, a hot priest (Andrew Scott).—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Mar. 2026
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This profound snow drought comes at an especially awkward time, compounding a quarter-century of regional aridification that has drained the nation’s two largest reservoirs to precarious depths.—
Brandon Loomis,
AZCentral.com,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But then the team lost Kevin Fiala for the rest of the season to a fractured leg in the Olympic tournament and saw winger Andrei Kuzmenko undergo surgery last week to repair torn meniscus in his right knee, hampering an offense that ranks 28th in the 32-team league in goals.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Public frustration over the district’s academic performance reached a boiling point in August 2024, when Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker spoke at a school board meeting, saying the district’s poor performance was hampering students’ opportunities after high school.—
Silas Allen,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Discomfiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discomfiting. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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