flustered

adjective

flus·​tered ˈflə-stərd 

: in a state of agitated confusion

She became so flustered that she'd … kept repeating, "Gosh, I can't even think …" Later she confided, "I was almost in tears right after doing those numbers."

—Stephen S. Hall

The flustered lady gave me a blank stare and said, "That's not Mr. Franklin. The guard said Mr. Franklin was on his way up."

—Dick Francis

… the oxen … seemed more patient and less flustered than their masters …

—Deborah Straw

flusteredly adverb

"Everything's under control, I think!" she says a little flusteredly. "We had a problem with the table posies, but fingers crossed, they should be on their way … ."

—Sophie Kinsella

Examples of flustered in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Moreover, watching scammers get flustered sheds light on the lengths these criminals will go to and highlights the importance of staying vigilant against their schemes. —Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 7 Dec. 2024

But on this day’s errand, in the New Pioneer produce aisle, Greenwell could be mistaken for someone a little more quotidian: an obliging, slightly flustered midwestern husband. —Sarah Thankam Mathews, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2024

As one Big Ten position coach said, the way Diaz disguised pressure — especially on third down — flustered offenses. —Audrey Snyder, The Athletic, 26 Aug. 2024

Of the cast, Judy Greer stands out as the flustered but patient substitute pageant director and mom who learns to raise her voice in support of the kids the church wants to avoid and leave behind. —Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see fluster entry 1

First Known Use

1743, in the meaning defined above