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
Jessica Kiang, Variety, 15 May 2026
And sometimes that gaze is just discomfiting, full stop.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026
Here, the sado-sensual yearning of the Confederacy to instantiate itself through the fetishes and reliquaries of figurative sculpture is shown as hollow, impotent, all too discomfiting, and very real.
—Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
Digitally tweaked to fit the syncopated rhythm and stay on key, Weir’s vocals have a discomfiting quality that’s almost certainly unintentional—especially considering how often the beauty of the Dead lied in their very human imperfections.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 3 Apr. 2026
The uptick in concern about taste is both surprising and discomfiting, because the word comes with particular generational baggage.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2026
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
Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
Josh O’Connor and Emily Blunt are his overwhelmed disciples, imbued with discomfiting powers that could be key to making contact with these otherworldly guests.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 10 June 2026
The sheer amount of information is discomfiting, and that’s the point.
—Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 May 2026
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
Adjective
Plotting a linear, sinking trajectory, Kreutzer’s discomfiting film describes no such buoyant highs and lows.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 15 May 2026
And sometimes that gaze is just discomfiting, full stop.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026
Here, the sado-sensual yearning of the Confederacy to instantiate itself through the fetishes and reliquaries of figurative sculpture is shown as hollow, impotent, all too discomfiting, and very real.
—Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
Digitally tweaked to fit the syncopated rhythm and stay on key, Weir’s vocals have a discomfiting quality that’s almost certainly unintentional—especially considering how often the beauty of the Dead lied in their very human imperfections.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 3 Apr. 2026
The uptick in concern about taste is both surprising and discomfiting, because the word comes with particular generational baggage.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2026
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
Verb
His views, possibly as discomfiting for some in his party as his internet history, seem almost optimized for social media virality.
—Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
Josh O’Connor and Emily Blunt are his overwhelmed disciples, imbued with discomfiting powers that could be key to making contact with these otherworldly guests.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 10 June 2026
The sheer amount of information is discomfiting, and that’s the point.
—Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 May 2026
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
-
Every year, the Heart Rate Challenge is one of the most embarrassing rituals this show puts the Islanders through.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
22 June 2026
-
Boise’s rough end to May stretched into June, and the first-year club left Madison, Wisconsin, last week surrendering four unanswered goals in the second half for an embarrassing loss.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
The documentary’s contradiction is right there, enthralling us with the wild achievements Potter pulled off and frustrating us with his bombast, leading us to ponder whether, as The Dark Wizard suggests, either could exist without the other.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
-
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
-
The most common mistake is confusing more communication with a better signal.—
Gerald J. Leonard,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s investigation of the alternative medicine industry uncovered a pattern of practitioners across Georgia pushing legal limits on what they’re allowed to do and presenting confusing information about their credentials.—
Carrie Teegardin,
AJC.com,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
The conclusions from these findings are both uncomfortable and freeing.—
Savanah F.S. Bray,
Fortune,
22 June 2026
-
Francisco Lindor is injured, and other guys just look uncomfortable.—
David Troy OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
22 June 2026
Verb
-
For more than four minutes Darnold drove downfield, connecting on three of four passes, baffling the pass rushers, bleeding the clock, and by the time the Seahawks finally gave the ball back, the Rams had only 25 seconds to live.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
-
Though some of the recent playoff defeats have been baffling and call for self-evaluation within the organization, the culture has been a huge net positive overall.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
This imbalance is perhaps not expressly disconcerting much of the time.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
-
There was also some disconcerting history to consider.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Your 2nd House of Finances hits an awkward angle as the nurturing Moon quincunxes ambitious Mars in your 9th House of Travel and Learning.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
23 June 2026
-
But that doesn’t mean there still aren’t some awkward moments.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
22 June 2026
Verb
-
The sanctions are hampering work on a broad array of investigations at the court.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 June 2026
-
Winds of up to 50 mph stoked the flames and severely limited the fire response by hampering boat and aircraft access to the remote island.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Discomfiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discomfiting. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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