discomfort

[dis-kuhm-fert]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR discomfort ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an absence of comfort or ease; uneasiness, hardship, or mild pain.

anything that is disturbing to or interferes with comfort.

verb (used with object)

to disturb the comfort or happiness of; make uncomfortable or uneasy.

Origin of discomfort

1300–50; (v.) Middle English discomforten to discourage, pain < Anglo-French descomforter to sadden, grieve; see dis-¹, comfort; (noun) Middle English < Anglo-French, derivative of v.

Related formsdis·com·fort·a·ble

[dis-kuhm-fer-tuh-buh l, -kuhmf-tuh-] /dɪsˈkʌm fər tə bəl, -ˈkʌmf tə-/, adjectivedis·com·fort·ing·ly, adverb

Can be confuseddiscomfit discomfort

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

Related Words for discomfort

annoyance, hardship, soreness, disquiet, embarrassment, uneasiness, displeasure, ache, trouble, unpleasantness, distress, discomposure, upset, hurt, malaise, discomfiture, nuisance, inquietude, vexation, nettle

Examples from the Web for discomfort

Contemporary Examples of discomfort

Scrolling through this hate-filled manifesto for the first time made the hairs on my arm tingle with discomfort.
Reverend Jeremiah Wright Was Worse Than Scalise
Ron Christie
January 2, 2015
He uses some combination of the words comfort or discomfort in regards to how he feels about situations over 30 times.
The Story of the World’s Greatest Cricket Player
William O’Connor
December 24, 2014
All under the same roof— but a place containing extremes of comfort and discomfort.
Flying Coach Is the New Hell: How Airlines Engineer You Out of Room
Clive Irving
November 25, 2014
My discomfort stemmed from the inherent gulf between the two disciplines.
We Interrupt This Broadcast: How a TV Producer Learned to Write Fiction
George Lerner
September 9, 2014
This agent spoke on condition of anonymity due to discomfort with being publicly associated with comments about Lewinsky.
Monica Lewinsky Is Doomed: Trying To Craft a Career Outside Her Infamy May Be Impossible
Lloyd Grove
July 2, 2014

Historical Examples of discomfort

I sincerely hope that what I have done will not result in any discomfort or inconvenience to you.
Her Father's Daughter
Gene Stratton-Porter
However, in spite of discomfort, we would not have missed the journey on any account.
In the Heart of Vosges
Matilda Betham-Edwards
He found to his own discomfort what was the fact and the reality, which were not very convenient for him.
Welsh Fairy Tales
William Elliott Griffis
You can excuse the disorder and discomfort of a painter's studio?'
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
Prada again felt worried, a prey to the discomfort of uncertainty.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for discomfort

discomfort

noun

an inconvenience, distress, or mild pain

something that disturbs or deprives of ease

verb

(tr) to make uncomfortable or uneasy

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 discomfort

mid-14c., from Old French desconfort (12c.), from desconforter (v.), from des- (see dis-) + conforter (see comfort (v.)).

c.1300, "to deprive of courage," from Old French desconforter; see discomfort (n.). Related: Discomforted; discomforting.