daunt

[dawnt, dahnt]

verb (used with object)

1. to overcome with fear; intimidate.

   to daunt one's adversaries.

   Synonyms: frighten, dismay, subdue, overawe

2. to lessen the courage of; dishearten.

   Don't be daunted by the amount of work still to be done.

   Synonyms: dispirit, discourage
   Antonyms: encourage

daunt

/ dɔːnt /

verb

1. to intimidate

2. to dishearten

Other Word Forms

• daunter noun
• dauntingly adverb
• dauntingness noun
• undaunting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of daunt¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English da(u)nten, from Anglo-French da(u)nter, Old French danter, alteration of donter (probably by influence of dangier “power, authority”; danger ), from Latin domitāre “to tame,” derivative of domitus “tamed,” past participle of domāre “to tame”

Word History and Origins

Origin of daunt¹

C13: from Old French danter, changed from donter to conquer, from Latin domitāre to tame

Example Sentences

Ventress, a fire victim himself dealing with a daunting rebuild, credited the Malibu Rebuild Center as a helpful resource to locals who lost their homes.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Coventry student Katie, who wants to be a teacher, says she finds her student loan daunting, and that it is likely to "always follow" her.

Read more on BBC

As a result, an institution with an illustrious record of solving the hardest problems in space now faces a daunting task here on Earth: reclaiming its place at the vanguard of exploration and innovation.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"She did incredibly well assisting in a birth with her lecturer present.... it's a situation that could have felt daunting, but she did everything she should have done."

Read more on BBC

“Ragtime” draws a portrait of America at a time of turmoil with broad dramatic strokes and emotional specificity, a high-wire act that might daunt the likes of Houdini—yet another character in the show.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• baffle 
• deter 
• discourage 
• dishearten 
• dismay 
• dispirit 
• horrify 
• intimidate 
• scare 
• subdue 
• terrify 

When To Use

What does daunt mean?

Daunt means to intimidate.This intimidation can be a pretty serious fear, like that of a warrior who daunts enemies in battle. More commonly, though, daunt means to intimidate in a way that’s disheartening, like a task that daunts you because it seems impossible.People who are intimidated in such a way can be described with the adjective daunted. An even more commonly used adjective is daunting, which comes from the continuous tense (the -ing form) of daunt. If a task is daunting, it’s intimidating or overwhelming in a way that makes you not even want to try to do it.Example: When I first started at this job, I was really daunted by my first assignment, which was reorganizing 10 years’ worth of files.