discomfiture

[dis-kuhm-fi-cher]

noun

1. the state of being disconcerted; confusion; embarrassment.

2. frustration of hopes or plans.

3. Archaic.,  defeat in battle; rout.

Word History and Origins

Origin of discomfiture¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English desconfiture, from Anglo-French: “defeat”; discomfit, -ure

Example Sentences

That Pakistan likely shot down between two and four Indian jets on the first night of the conflict added to the Indian prime minister’s discomfiture.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

These episodes can cause brief public discomfiture with the GOP, but never lasting damage.

Read more on Salon

“We’ve put hundreds of millions of dollars into ethnically targeted microbes,” he said, delivering his spiel to dining companions who heard him out with increasingly evident discomfiture.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The House Republican leader was a study in discomfiture.

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They’re reveling in what they see as the discomfiture of authorities at the destinations forced to scramble to bring care and services to the passengers.

Read more on Los Angeles Times