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fluster

[fluhs-ter]
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verb (used with object)
  1. to put into a state of agitated confusion: His constant criticism flustered me.
  2. to excite and confuse with drink.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to become agitatedly confused.
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noun
  1. nervous excitement or confusion.
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Origin of fluster

1375–1425; late Middle English flostren; cf. bluster, Old Norse flaustra to hurry
Related formsun·flus·tered, adjective

Synonyms

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1. upset, bewilder, disconcert, disturb. 4. turmoil, agitation, upset, bewilderment, distraction.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

mystifyperplexbewilderdiscombobulatenonplusconfusemuddledistractconfoundagitateunhingeturmoilto-dodisturbanceruffleflapagitationcommotionstateflurry

Examples from the Web for fluster

Historical Examples

  • There was no longer any fluster of doubt and hesitation in his manner.

    A Houseful of Girls

    Sarah Tytler

  • And you'll realize, dear reader, that you're all in a fluster, inwardly.

  • You might as well try to move one of the pyramids as fluster him.

  • No speech or behaviour from the country lads was likely to fluster her.

    The Surprises of Life

    Georges Clemenceau

  • I am the man to take at once, and fluster a woman, and reckon her ribs for her.

    The Heroine

    Eaton Stannard Barrett

British Dictionary definitions for fluster

fluster

verb
  1. to make or become confused, nervous, or upset
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noun
  1. a state of confusion or agitation
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Word Origin

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

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper