discomfort
Americannoun
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an absence of comfort or ease; uneasiness, hardship, or mild pain.
-
anything that is disturbing to or interferes with comfort.
verb (used with object)
noun
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an inconvenience, distress, or mild pain
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something that disturbs or deprives of ease
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
discomfortsimple
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discomfortssimple
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have discomfortedperfect
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has discomfortedperfect
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am discomfortingprogressive
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are discomfortingprogressive
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is discomfortingprogressive
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have been discomfortingperfect progressive
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has been discomfortingperfect progressive
Past
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discomfortedsimple
-
had discomfortedperfect
-
was discomfortingprogressive
-
were discomfortingprogressive
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had been discomfortingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
Discomfort is the feeling of irritation, soreness, or pain that, though not severe, is annoying. Every year, people who get a cold or the flu experience a few days of discomfort. The noun discomfort is good for describing situations when you aren't quite in pain, but you don't feel very good. Things that cause discomfort include a dull toothache, a blister on your foot, and a terrible mattress. Discomfort can also describe embarrassment, like the discomfort you'd feel if you suddenly realized you were in the wrong classroom.
Vocabulary lists containing discomfort
Stay Strong: Forc and Fort
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That Hurts! Synonyms for "Pain"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Actors, musicians and performers train to inhabit perspectives not their own, to remain present through discomfort, and to sustain attention across time.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
Former British number one Jack Draper has withdrawn on the eve of another tournament because of the long-term arm injury which continues to cause him discomfort.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
For others, the low-frequency sound can cause physical discomfort or illness and may also feel like a vibration moving through the body.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
It’s also unclear why she chose a five-star resort for the splurging, given her discomfort with everything from the menu on down.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Nathan could deal with lackluster sandwiches and awful canned pasta, especially when comparing his discomfort to the struggles of his ancestor who had survived Hwééldi.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
As the latest heat wave discomforts Europe, France is arguing about air conditioning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
"That's life. But I was always looking to learn from those discomforts."
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2025
After the interview, Isaac and co-host Ronald Young Jr. talk about the challenges and discomforts of self-promotion.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2024
They demonstrate that resilience is not always about unwavering composure but about challenging the status quo, addressing discomforts with candor, and urging listeners to find strength beyond the lures of capitalism.
From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2024
But her daughter can only wallow in her own discomforts.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
He was lively with the new ball and again after lunch, when he discomforted Jacks.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2025
It is not a given that Newey would be discomforted by Horner's departure.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2024
Duckett had been discomforted by the short ball and Root caught off a no-ball, yet England refused to temper their aggression.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2023
Mr. Kriegel’s raw emotion, it was plain, discomforted them.
From New York Times ● Oct. 11, 2022
All the same, the reproof in John Holbrook’s voice left her discomforted.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
That calmed worries that had built on Wall Street that the inflation data could show a discomforting reacceleration.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 29, 2024
The discomforting intimacy of the sequence has stayed with him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2023
It is a prospect that has some people bracing for possibly discomforting disclosures.
From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2023
The discomforting reality is that, while Altman and his ilk have been predicting an exponential acceleration of productivity, we have been experiencing a deceleration.
From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2023
Something is discomforting about a sun that gives no heat but keeps shining.
From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
