Dictionary.com
definitions

fluster

[ fluhs-ter ]
/ ˈflʌs tər /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fluster ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to put into a state of agitated confusion: His constant criticism flustered me.
to excite and confuse with drink.

verb (used without object)

to become agitatedly confused.

noun

nervous excitement or confusion.

RELATED WORDS

mystify, perplex, bewilder, discombobulate, nonplus, confuse, muddle, distract, confound, agitate, unhinge, turmoil, to-do, disturbance, ruffle, flap, agitation, commotion, state, flurry

Nearby words

  1. flush-decked,
  2. flushed,
  3. flushing,
  4. flushometer,
  5. flushwork,
  6. flustrated,
  7. flute,
  8. fluted,
  9. fluter,
  10. flutey

Origin of fluster

1375–1425; late Middle English flostren; cf. bluster, Old Norse flaustra to hurry
Related formsun·flus·tered, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fluster

British Dictionary definitions for fluster

fluster

/ (ˈflʌstə) /

verb

to make or become confused, nervous, or upset

noun

a state of confusion or agitation

Word Origin for fluster

C15: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Icelandic flaustr to hurry, flaustra to bustle
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 fluster

fluster

v.

early 15c. (implied in flostyrynge), from a Scandinavian source (cf. Icelandic flaustr "bustle," flaustra "to bustle"). Originally "to excite," especially with drink; sense of "to flurry, confuse" is from 1724. Related: Flustered; flustering. As a noun, 1710, from the verb.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper