discomfort
Americannoun
-
discomforts
plural
-
an absence of comfort or ease; uneasiness, hardship, or mild pain.
-
anything that is disturbing to or interferes with comfort.
verb (used with object)
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discomforts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
discomforted,
past participle, past
-
discomforting
present participle
noun
-
an inconvenience, distress, or mild pain
-
something that disturbs or deprives of ease
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
discomfortsimple
-
discomfortssimple
-
have discomfortedperfect
-
has discomfortedperfect
-
am discomfortingprogressive
-
are discomfortingprogressive
-
is discomfortingprogressive
-
have been discomfortingperfect progressive
-
has been discomfortingperfect progressive
Past
-
discomfortedsimple
-
had discomfortedperfect
-
was discomfortingprogressive
-
were discomfortingprogressive
-
had been discomfortingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of discomfort
First recorded in 1300–50; (for the verb) Middle English discomforten “to discourage, pain,” from Anglo-French descomforter “to sadden, grieve”; equivalent to dis- 1 + comfort; noun derivative of verb
Explanation
Discomfort is the feeling of irritation, soreness, or pain that, though not severe, is annoying. Every year, people who get a cold or the flu experience a few days of discomfort. The noun discomfort is good for describing situations when you aren't quite in pain, but you don't feel very good. Things that cause discomfort include a dull toothache, a blister on your foot, and a terrible mattress. Discomfort can also describe embarrassment, like the discomfort you'd feel if you suddenly realized you were in the wrong classroom.
Vocabulary lists containing discomfort
Stay Strong: Forc and Fort
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That Hurts! Synonyms for "Pain"
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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.
See Examples For:
But his art continually plays with discomfort and awkwardness in human interactions in a way that is painfully familiar to those of us who live it everyday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
"Outside of the immense discomfort they cause by itching, they don't usually carry any health risks", he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
In the first three months after insertion, for instance, 69 percent of participants experienced heavy bleeding, and 28 percent had pelvic discomfort.
From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026
Common obstacles include discomfort, limited time, and the physical demands of conventional exercise programs.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
Moss spent the rest of the meal trying to move past his discomfort.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
As the latest heat wave discomforts Europe, France is arguing about air conditioning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
SuperMouth ULTIM8 SmartBrush System – Toothbrushes have long been one of travel’s little discomforts — often still damp from use, or less than effective when you pack a separate “travel” brush.
From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2025
"That's life. But I was always looking to learn from those discomforts."
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2025
Fans eagerly complain on social media about the creature discomforts of these overstuffed shows: the long lines, the high-priced drinks, the overlapping sets that mean you have to choose between your two favorite bands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2024
The floor was made of warped planks lull of splinters, and his sleeping pallet smelled of mildew, but those discomforts were mild compared to what Davos had expected.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
The unapologetically Black person wears their Blackness every day, regardless of who is offended or discomforted by it.
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026
He was clearly discomforted by the swelling on his foot and had to be stretchered from the field.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2025
The news outlet called Lamar "an ambitious and searingly talented poet from Compton working through his - and the world’s - contradictions on the biggest stage, forever discomforted by his crown".
From BBC ● Nov. 23, 2024
Mr. Kriegel’s raw emotion, it was plain, discomforted them.
From New York Times ● Oct. 11, 2022
“Of course — everyone knows —” muttered Mr. Diggory, looking highly discomforted.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
Well, there’s a funny hidden message there, which is kind of discomforting if you really think about it.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
Stark, discomforting amplification diminishes intimacy and the luxurious richness of Bullock’s soprano, which easily fills a room on its own, suggests quiet terror, the lonely state of Nina Simone’s “Images.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2026
That calmed worries that had built on Wall Street that the inflation data could show a discomforting reacceleration.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 29, 2024
The robot’s movements, informed by years of studying how birds walk, include a slight sway in its frame when it is at rest, to dispel the discomforting stillness that bothers humans.
From New York Times ● Jul. 12, 2022
Something is discomforting about a sun that gives no heat but keeps shining.
From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
