Synonyms of disconcert

disconcert

verb

ˌdis-kən-ˈsərt 

as in to embarrass

to throw into a state of self-conscious distress

we were disconcerted by the unexpected changes to the program

Synonyms & Similar Words

• embarrass
• confuse
• fluster
• rattle
• bother
• disturb
• mortify
• unsettle
• faze
• discomfit
• confound
• upset
• abash
• discountenance
• nonplus
• distress
• humiliate
• perturb
• discomfort
• disquiet
• unhinge
• agitate
• dismay
• discompose
• humble
• shame
• demean
• debase
• put off
• degrade
• chagrin
• queer
• put out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• relieve
• comfort
• soothe
• calm
• encourage
• console
• cheer
• assure
• reassure
• hearten
• embolden
• buoy

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb disconcert contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of disconcert are abash, discomfit, embarrass, and rattle. While all these words mean "to distress by confusing or confounding," disconcert implies an upsetting of equanimity or assurance producing uncertainty or hesitancy.

disconcerted by finding so many in attendance

When is it sensible to use abash instead of disconcert?

The meanings of abash and disconcert largely overlap; 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 can discomfit be used instead of disconcert?

The words discomfit and disconcert can be used in similar contexts, but discomfit implies a hampering or frustrating accompanied by confusion.

hecklers discomfited the speaker

When would embarrass be a good substitute for disconcert?

In some situations, the words embarrass and disconcert are roughly equivalent. However, embarrass implies some influence that impedes thought, speech, or action.

the question embarrassed her so much she couldn't answer

When might rattle be a better fit than disconcert?

Although the words rattle and disconcert have much in common, rattle implies an agitation that impairs thought and judgment.

rattled by all the television cameras

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of disconcert

Perhaps as disconcerting as anything is the lack of circumstances that would create such confusion. —Alec Lewis, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025

The Garfield of the book is, so far anyway, the Garfield of the show, carrying a humility and nobility that’s frankly disconcerting coming from Michael Shannon, who’s usually cast as more wayward types. —Scott Tobias, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2025

The code, though, is currently often replete with disconcerting troubles. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025

This detail, at once tragic and comic, painfully human and stupidly bureaucratic, captures something essential about Schattenfroh, an extremely dark novel about the horrors of modern European history laced with the delirious, disconcerting humor of a Hieronymus Bosch painting. —Book Marks september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025