discomfort
Americannoun
-
discomforts
plural
-
an absence of comfort or ease; uneasiness, hardship, or mild pain.
-
anything that is disturbing to or interferes with comfort.
verb (used with object)
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discomforts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
discomforted,
past participle, past
-
discomforting
present participle
noun
-
an inconvenience, distress, or mild pain
-
something that disturbs or deprives of ease
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
discomfortsimple
-
discomfortssimple
-
have discomfortedperfect
-
has discomfortedperfect
-
am discomfortingprogressive
-
are discomfortingprogressive
-
is discomfortingprogressive
-
have been discomfortingperfect progressive
-
has been discomfortingperfect progressive
Past
-
discomfortedsimple
-
had discomfortedperfect
-
was discomfortingprogressive
-
were discomfortingprogressive
-
had been discomfortingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of discomfort
First recorded in 1300–50; (for the verb) Middle English discomforten “to discourage, pain,” from Anglo-French descomforter “to sadden, grieve”; equivalent to dis- 1 + comfort; noun derivative of verb
Explanation
Discomfort is the feeling of irritation, soreness, or pain that, though not severe, is annoying. Every year, people who get a cold or the flu experience a few days of discomfort. The noun discomfort is good for describing situations when you aren't quite in pain, but you don't feel very good. Things that cause discomfort include a dull toothache, a blister on your foot, and a terrible mattress. Discomfort can also describe embarrassment, like the discomfort you'd feel if you suddenly realized you were in the wrong classroom.
Vocabulary lists containing discomfort
Stay Strong: Forc and Fort
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That Hurts! Synonyms for "Pain"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I suspect this is one of those peculiarly British collisions of ambiguity, assumption and social discomfort.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
I sense that part of your discomfort with cutting her off is that this is a new friend, and I can empathize.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
He got no hits, but he reported no discomfort.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Some drivers prefer not to use the cooling kit because of discomfort, and because there have been issues with the coolant running out before a grand prix is finished.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
But this discomfort was worth it because when he gripped the mattock, a digging tool that looked a lot like a spear, his blisters thanked him by not erupting in pain.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
In India, where marriage and motherhood are regarded as the ultimate goal and a sacred duty for most women, a play talking about the discomforts of a mother comes as a refreshing change.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
As the latest heat wave discomforts Europe, France is arguing about air conditioning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
After the interview, Isaac and co-host Ronald Young Jr. talk about the challenges and discomforts of self-promotion.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2024
There's menopause, with its discomforts and night sweats.
From Salon ● Dec. 2, 2023
While we were recuperating, Dad spent considerable time with us, but minimized our discomforts, and kept telling us we were just looking for sympathy.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Boland was poor in the first innings, but first discomforted Duckett with a blow to the back elbow then drew the left-hander into a poke to second slip.
From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2025
Though he was discomforted by the bumper barrage, Head fully deserved his sixth Test hundred.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2023
Mr. Kriegel’s raw emotion, it was plain, discomforted them.
From New York Times ● Oct. 11, 2022
In Japan, sponsors long had been privately discomforted with the widespread public opposition to the Games, but until now, they had been largely silent publicly.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 21, 2021
All the same, the reproof in John Holbrook’s voice left her discomforted.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
Stark, discomforting amplification diminishes intimacy and the luxurious richness of Bullock’s soprano, which easily fills a room on its own, suggests quiet terror, the lonely state of Nina Simone’s “Images.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2026
That calmed worries that had built on Wall Street that the inflation data could show a discomforting reacceleration.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 29, 2024
If your thirst for strange Santas is still not quenched, this discomforting Mexican morality tale will be the gift that keeps on giving — nightmares, that is.
From New York Times ● Dec. 2, 2022
It serves as a reminder of the discomforting way the true crime genre has trained us to consume tragedy and turn murderers, victims, and loved ones left behind into characters.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2022
Something is discomforting about a sun that gives no heat but keeps shining.
From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
