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deter

[dih-tur]
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verb (used with object), de·terred, de·ter·ring.
  1. to discourage or restrain from acting or proceeding: The large dog deterred trespassers.
  2. to prevent; check; arrest: timber treated with creosote to deter rot.
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Origin of deter

1570–80; < Latin dēterrēre to prevent, hinder, equivalent to dē- de- + terrēre to frighten
Related formsde·ter·ment, nounde·ter·ra·ble, adjectivede·ter·ra·bil·i·ty, nounde·ter·rer, nounun·de·ter·ra·bil·i·ty, nounun·de·ter·ra·ble, adjectiveun·de·ter·ra·bly, adverbun·de·terred, adjectiveun·de·ter·ring, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

fearlessindomitablesteadfastundeterredaudaciouscourageousdauntlessgallanticyintrepidresolutespunkyunafraidunfalteringunflinchingvaliantvalorousunalarmedundiscouragedundismayed

Examples from the Web for undeterred

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • But she continued, undeterred: "You are a coward—a pitiful coward," she told him.

    Mistress Wilding

    Rafael Sabatini

  • Undeterred by his failure, de Spain held his ground as long as he dared.

    Nan of Music Mountain

    Frank H. Spearman

  • But the chief priests and scribes and elders of the people were undeterred.

    Jesus the Christ

    James Edward Talmage

  • Undeterred by any sense of delicacy, Quin pushed open the door and bolted in.

    Quin

    Alice Hegan Rice

  • Undeterred by this, the Moana let go and followed with the same result.

    A Son Of The Sun

    Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for undeterred

undeterred

adjective
  1. not discouraged or dissuaded
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deter

verb -ters, -terring or -terred
  1. (tr) to discourage (from acting) or prevent (from occurring), usually by instilling fear, doubt, or anxiety
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Derived Formsdeterment, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Latin dēterrēre, from de- + terrēre to frighten
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 undeterred

adj.

c.1600, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of deter.

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deter

v.

1570s, from Latin deterrere "to frighten from, discourage from," from de- "away" (see de-) + terrere "frighten" (see terrible). Deterrent is from 1829.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper