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consternate

[ kon-ster-neyt ]
/ ˈkɒn stərˌneɪt /
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verb (used with object), con·ster·nat·ed, con·ster·nat·ing.
to dismay, confuse, or terrify.
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Origin of consternate

1645–55; <Latin consternātus, past participle of consternāre to unsettle, throw into confusion, perhaps intensive derivative of consternere to cover, spread (with) (con-con- + sternere to strew; cf. stratum), though sense development uncertain

OTHER WORDS FROM consternate

un·con·ster·nat·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to consternate

alarm, confuse, daunt, frighten, horrify, scare, shock, terrify, unnerve

How to use consternate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for consternate

consternate
/ (ˈkɒnstəˌneɪt) /
verb
(tr; usually passive) to fill with anxiety, dismay, dread, or confusion

Word Origin for consternate

C17: from Latin consternāre, from sternere to lay low, spread out
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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