flustered

[fluhs-terd]

adjective

1. 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

1. the simple past tense and past participle of fluster.

Other Word Forms

• unflustered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of flustered¹

fluster ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Ama, however, doesn’t seem discouraged or flustered by the news of her own death.

Read more on Literature

“But—but...that is nonsense! Poppycock! There are no miserable girls at Swanburne,” Penelope said, now quite flustered.

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“Simon? I mean, Mr. Harley-Dickinson, of course. Forgive me, I am still a bit flustered from the fall. . . .”

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I’d have liked to watch her explain where she thinks she’s gone, however adorably flustered the answer.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Lynn said he had no idea why USC’s front looked so flustered from the start against Illinois, while linebacker Eric Gentry said the situation was “the worst of the worst that we could have played.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• afraid 
• agitated 
• annoyed 
• apprehensive 
• concerned 
• edgy 
• fussy 
• hesitant 
• hysterical 
• irritable 
• jittery 
• jumpy 
• shaky 
• shy 
• skittish 
• spooked www.thesaurus.com
• tense 
• timid 
• uneasy 
• uptight