discomfit

/dɪsˈkʌmfət/

Other forms: discomfited; discomfiting; discomfits

To discomfit someone is to make them feel uncomfortable or upset. An easy way to discomfit another person is to use the age-old, childish trick of ignoring them. (Of course, we’re sure you would never do that, right? Right?)

If you make someone blush, sweat, and generally want to disappear, you’ve discomfited her. Centuries ago, discomfit was used to mean “destroy completely in battle” — an experience that surely left the defeated armies feeling something more than mere discomfort. Some scholars have suggested that the contemporary meaning of discomfit arose due to confusion with the word discomfort. Don’t be discomfited by choosing the wrong word; use this word to mean “embarrass.”

Definitions of discomfit

1. verb

   cause to lose one's composure
   synonyms: discompose, disconcert, rattle, untune, upset

   types:

   enervate, faze, unnerve, unsettle

   disturb the composure of

   dissolve

   cause to lose control emotionally

   bemuse, bewilder, discombobulate, throw

   cause to be confused emotionally

   abash, embarrass

   cause to be embarrassed; cause to feel self-conscious

   anguish, hurt, pain

   cause emotional anguish or make miserable

   afflict

   cause great unhappiness for; distress

   unman

   cause to lose one's nerve

   confuse, disconcert, flurry, put off

   cause to feel embarrassment

   break someone's heart

   cause deep emotional pain and grief to somebody

   agonise, agonize

   cause to agonize

   aggrieve, grieve, harrow

   cause to feel distress

   tribulate

   oppress or trouble greatly

   strain, stress, try

   test the limits of

   try

   give pain or trouble to

   excruciate, rack, torment, torture

   torment emotionally or mentally

   type of:

   arouse, elicit, enkindle, evoke, fire, kindle, pique, provoke, raise

   call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)