as in embarrassing
causing embarrassment
a flustering situation that left us all silent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Recent Examples of flustering
Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
In the first half the Horned Frogs were successful in flustering the freshman.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Jan. 2026
Verb
South Carolina was flying all over the court to start the game, completely flustering freshman guard Aubrey Galvan and forcing three Commodores turnovers in 30 seconds to open an 11-2 lead in less than two minutes.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 26 Jan. 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
Adjective
-
Wilks was fired with three games remaining in the season following a 48-20 embarrassing loss at Jacksonville in Week 15.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
For a population that strives not only to be good, but to be officially good—to dedicate its offices to the needs and the vindication of the vulnerable—the persistence of family abuse is an embarrassing rebuke.—
Elaine Blair,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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At Hotel Lorenzo, managing partner Justin Burton said confusing detours and signage are creating frustration for visitors.—
Nicole Nielsen,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
But missing details on tax forms, such as on your W-2 from an employer, could be confusing when filing returns this year, experts say.—
Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,
CNBC,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
When cutting food, holding the meat with the fork in an awkward vertical position.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Other awkward—and more viral—moments included OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei stealing the spotlight from Modi by refusing to hold hands for a photo op designed to be a show of unity and triumph.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
During the day there is no rattling.—
John Paul,
The Providence Journal,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The move revived memories of blatant tampering with inflation statistics by past populist governments, rattling investor confidence and public trust.—
Isabel Debre,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Both works, critics say, display uncomfortable stereotypes that have been used to marginalize their respective Jewish and gay populations for a very long time.—
David Colman,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Because in hindsight, there was a lot of luck that played into the public’s preparations for this storm, with forecasters in the uncomfortable position of rapidly ratcheting up their warnings with precious little preparation time to spare.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As the Alabama Crimson Tide prepare for the rival Auburn Tigers ahead of Saturday’s Iron Bowl, the team received a bit of disconcerting news.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Nov. 2025
-
The code, though, is currently often replete with disconcerting troubles.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Besides preventing mold and mildew, cleaning will also taper unpleasant odors and prevent cracking and crumbling of your seal.—
Caroline Lubinsky,
Martha Stewart,
21 Feb. 2026
-
By washing white rice, the excess starch is washed off, as well as any oxidized rice bran oil coating the outside, which can add an unpleasant flavor to the cooked rice.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But having dodged the traps of the social media news era, The Economist now faces looming long-term structural challenges that may be more difficult to avoid.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Frontflips are generally more difficult than backflips for both humans and robots.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flustering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flustering. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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