discomfit

[dis-kuhm-fit]

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verb (used with object)

to confuse and deject; disconcert: to be discomfited by a question.

to frustrate the plans of; thwart; foil.

Archaic. to defeat utterly; rout: The army was discomfited in every battle.

noun

Archaic. rout; defeat.

Origin of discomfit

1175–1225; Middle English < Anglo-French descunfit, Old French desconfit, past participle of desconfire, equivalent to des- dis-¹ + confire to make, accomplish < Latin conficere; see confect

Related formsdis·com·fit·er, nounun·dis·com·fit·ed, adjective

Can be confuseddiscomfit discomfort

Synonyms for discomfit

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1. discompose, embarrass, disturb.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for discomfiting

vex, disconcert, perplex, demoralize, prevent, discountenance, unsettle, trump, perturb, rattle, confound, abash, thwart, worry, discompose, balk, outwit, irk, checkmate, overcome

Examples from the Web for discomfiting

Contemporary Examples of discomfiting

While comparisons are obvious, Ryan's use of the discomfiting capital-T "they" got me thinking: who exactly were "they"?
The MEK And 1979 Comparisons
Ali Gharib
September 26, 2012
Most of the time, subtle cues—a flag, for instance—have a powerful, discomfiting pull on our behavior.
Your Brain Is Not as Rational as You May Think It Is
Jesse Singal
April 28, 2012
The GOP debates have already been entertaining, unpredictable, and discomfiting for the candidates.
The Two GOP Candidates Being Shut Out
Jill Lawrence
October 29, 2011

Historical Examples of discomfiting

It was discomfiting, that cool, penetrating, searching gaze.
The Mutiny of the Elsinore
Jack London
"For the object of discomfiting a third adversary," filled in Korynthia.
The Green Book
Mr Jkai
To the troopers, the sight of shoulder-straps was discomfiting.
The Plow-Woman
Eleanor Gates
Streaker, the housemaid, too, had an attribute of a most discomfiting nature.
Three Ghost Stories
Charles Dickens
The silence that followed this non-committal remark was most discomfiting.
Berry And Co.
Dornford Yates

British Dictionary definitions for discomfiting

discomfit

verb (tr)

to make uneasy, confused, or embarrassed

to frustrate the plans or purpose of

archaic to defeat in battle

Derived Formsdiscomfiter, noundiscomfiture, noun

Word Origin for discomfit

C14: from Old French desconfire to destroy, from des- (indicating reversal) + confire to make, from Latin conficere to produce; see confect

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

Word Origin and History for discomfiting

discomfit

c.1200, as an adjective, from Old French desconfit "vanquished, defeated," past participle of desconfire "to defeat, destroy," from des- "not" (see dis-) + confire "make, prepare, accomplish," from Latin conficere (see confection).

Used as a verb in English from c.1300. Weaker sense of "disconcert" is first recorded 1520s in English, probably by confusion with discomfort. Related: Discomfited; discomfiting.