Synonyms

flustered

American

[fluhs-terd] / ˈflʌs tərd /

adjective

in a state of agitated or nervous confusion.

In the past, I have prepared to take exams feeling flustered and anxious, but now I am more confident in my abilities.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of fluster.

Other Word Forms

unflustered adjective

Etymology

Origin of flustered

fluster ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

To be flustered is to lose your cool. When you're flustered, you're embarrassed, agitated, or just confused. If your pants fell down in the middle of class while you were giving a presentation, you'd probably be flustered: highly embarrassed, out of breath, and a little freaked out. It's hard to concentrate when you're flustered — it's a distracting state of mind. Being flustered isn't quite as bad as being panicked, but it's close. People can also get flustered by good things, like if someone you had a crush on kissed you.

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Vocabulary lists containing flustered

The Giver

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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.

I found Hendler and Sony’s head of IT: grown men, experts in their fields, veterans who did not get flustered.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

A flustered Davidson then asked the officers what they’ve learned from the meeting.

From Salon • Feb. 1, 2026

Clearly flustered, she was broken for a third time, to love, as the Ukrainian raced to 5-1 with a fifth double fault of the match gifting Svitolina another break and the set in 29 minutes.

From Barron's • Jan. 27, 2026

He was so flustered that he was still getting dressed in the car as he drove.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 1, 2026

She’d get flustered because she couldn’t keep up.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023