discomfort

American  

[dis-kuhm-fert] / dɪsˈkʌm fərt /

noun

1. an absence of comfort or ease; uneasiness, hardship, or mild pain.

2. anything that is disturbing to or interferes with comfort.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to disturb the comfort or happiness of; make uncomfortable or uneasy.

discomfort British  

/ dɪsˈkʌmfət /

noun

1. an inconvenience, distress, or mild pain

2. something that disturbs or deprives of ease

---

verb

1. (tr) to make uncomfortable or uneasy

Other Word Forms

• discomfortable adjective
• discomfortingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of discomfort

First recorded in 1300–50; (for the verb) Middle English discomforten “to discourage, pain,” from Anglo-French descomforter “to sadden, grieve”; equivalent to dis- ¹ + comfort; noun derivative of verb

Example Sentences

I’m grateful for all of those, but this year I’m thankful for something less obvious—the moments of discomfort that forced me to grow.

From The Wall Street Journal

Despite the discomfort, she dressed up and joined the family in the cruise casino, her grandmother said.

From BBC

“And people only start digging when they begin to feel uncomfortable — and that level of discomfort is rising.”

From MarketWatch

But after the birth of her first son, the discomfort of staying in such close quarters outweighed the benefits of free accommodations.

From MarketWatch

The centre-back limped off in visible discomfort during Brazil's friendly against Senegal at Emirates Stadium last weekend and was ruled out of the draw against Tunisia three days later.

From BBC

Related Words

• ache
• annoyance
• displeasure
• disquiet
• embarrassment
• hardship
• soreness
• trouble
• uneasiness
• unpleasantness