flustering 1 of 2

adjective

as in embarrassing
causing embarrassment a flustering situation that left us all silent

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

flustering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of fluster
as in confusing
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress was flustered when her parents dragged out her baby pictures for her new boyfriend

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 flustering
Verb
The Pistons’ defense is swarming and flustering the Cavs. — Zach Harper, New York Times, 8 May 2026 But Seymour threw on a press, flustering the Patriots, who began to turn the ball over. — Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2026 In the first half the Horned Frogs were successful in flustering the freshman. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flustering
  1. embarrassing
  2. confusing
  3. awkward
  4. rattling
  5. uncomfortable
  6. disconcerting
  7. unpleasant
  8. difficult
Adjective
  • The issue became particularly embarrassing for the league because teams had previously been punished for using unauthorized charter flights.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Paying your old pal seven figures to hand you an embarrassing loss.
    — Chris Branch, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of embarrassing
Verb
  • Dirty glass, confusing backing liners and difficulty repositioning the film were among the most common frustrations.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Then began the desperate, confusing search for their colleagues.
    — Ross Adkin, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of confusing
Adjective
  • Jaissle sees Murphy as offering more this season than Woltemade, who is clearly an awkward stylistic fit, and so those decisions were made.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, all new members, will be there, introducing fresh tensions into the agenda and some awkward photo calls.
    — Ian Bremmer, Time, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of awkward
Verb
  • And yep, my phone was rattling like a Richter Scale when all that happened, too.
    — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The song was a frenetic evolution of Brooklyn drill—the grimy, bone-rattling subgenre of hip-hop popularized by Bobby Shmurda—and its instrumental by the British producer 808Melo gave it a brash East London bounce.
    — Taran Dugal, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of rattling
Adjective
  • From the seasonally inappropriate hot springs of Beitou to the glossy, souvenir-flogging halls of Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, the plot of this coming-of-age story doesn’t shy away from the uncomfortable realities of traveling abroad.
    — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Residents can expect another round of uncomfortable nights as moisture will keep overnight temperatures well above normal in the 70s with some 80s in the foothills.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of uncomfortable
Verb
  • Rates of autism are rising to previously unseen levels, owing largely to better detection and new diagnostic criteria, but the numbers are still disconcerting.
    — Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • It is filled with off-putting, perhaps even disconcerting antics, and teams don't want to add that to their locker room.
    — Armando Salguero, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of disconcerting
Adjective
  • There was a lot of work on the medical cases to make the investigations complex and realistic, but there was also an entry point built around a strong, funny, unpleasant character, completely at odds with her return to her roots.
    — Roberto Prieto, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Are those seats empty for a neutral reason or an unpleasant reason?
    — Bruce Handy, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of unpleasant
Adjective
  • Being undefeated after a trio of difficult opening matches can only be seen as a positive, even if Newcastle’s obvious shortcomings require addressing if that run is to be prolonged.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Engineers need flight data on propulsion, aerodynamics, thermal management, guidance and other subsystems under conditions that are difficult to reproduce on the ground.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of difficult

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flustered
flustering
flusters
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Cite this Entry

“Flustering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flustering. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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