fluster

[fluhs-ter]

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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.

Origin of fluster

1375–1425; late Middle English flostren; cf. bluster, Old Norse flaustra to hurry

Related formsun·flus·tered, adjective

Synonyms for fluster

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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 for fluster

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

Examples from the Web for fluster

Historical Examples of fluster

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.
Fantasia of the Unconscious
D. H. Lawrence
You might as well try to move one of the pyramids as fluster him.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great - Volume 14
Elbert Hubbard
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

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

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.