as in embarrassing
causing embarrassment
the discomfiting scrutiny of an audience of music critics
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in frustrating
to prevent from achieving a goal
constant interruptions discomfited her in her attempt to finish the speech, and she finally gave up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in confusing
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress
he was discomfited by the awkward situation of having his ex-girlfriend meet his current one
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of discomfiting
Jessica Kiang, Variety, 15 May 2026
And sometimes that gaze is just discomfiting, full stop.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026
Here, the sado-sensual yearning of the Confederacy to instantiate itself through the fetishes and reliquaries of figurative sculpture is shown as hollow, impotent, all too discomfiting, and very real.
—Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
Digitally tweaked to fit the syncopated rhythm and stay on key, Weir’s vocals have a discomfiting quality that’s almost certainly unintentional—especially considering how often the beauty of the Dead lied in their very human imperfections.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 3 Apr. 2026
The uptick in concern about taste is both surprising and discomfiting, because the word comes with particular generational baggage.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2026
Macfadyen especially allows Guiteau to walk a challenging tightrope, discomfiting and intensely unlikable but never exactly unmoored from reality, never too far gone into easy, inhuman evil.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
The experience was deeply discomfiting for Burt.
—Sarah Weinman, Rolling Stone, 9 Nov. 2025
More generally, Europeans' personal happiness levels have seemingly gravitated away from church and children, the traditional sources of meaning, and toward a discomfiting positive correlation with the size of a nation's welfare state.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
Josh O’Connor and Emily Blunt are his overwhelmed disciples, imbued with discomfiting powers that could be key to making contact with these otherworldly guests.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 10 June 2026
The sheer amount of information is discomfiting, and that’s the point.
—Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 May 2026
Scenes are rendered with an diorama-esque economy of mise en scene that feels unreal, almost game-like — an aesthetic met with meaning in the film’s final act — and Nagahisa and Takeda take every opportunity to present the city from a different, often discomfiting angle.
—Blake Simons, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
The material can be discomfiting to take in, but Ronan anchors Maria’s every move in the character’s stubborn belief that her actions are well intentioned.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Plotting a linear, sinking trajectory, Kreutzer’s discomfiting film describes no such buoyant highs and lows.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 15 May 2026
And sometimes that gaze is just discomfiting, full stop.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026
Here, the sado-sensual yearning of the Confederacy to instantiate itself through the fetishes and reliquaries of figurative sculpture is shown as hollow, impotent, all too discomfiting, and very real.
—Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
Digitally tweaked to fit the syncopated rhythm and stay on key, Weir’s vocals have a discomfiting quality that’s almost certainly unintentional—especially considering how often the beauty of the Dead lied in their very human imperfections.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 3 Apr. 2026
The uptick in concern about taste is both surprising and discomfiting, because the word comes with particular generational baggage.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2026
Macfadyen especially allows Guiteau to walk a challenging tightrope, discomfiting and intensely unlikable but never exactly unmoored from reality, never too far gone into easy, inhuman evil.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
The experience was deeply discomfiting for Burt.
—Sarah Weinman, Rolling Stone, 9 Nov. 2025
More generally, Europeans' personal happiness levels have seemingly gravitated away from church and children, the traditional sources of meaning, and toward a discomfiting positive correlation with the size of a nation's welfare state.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
His views, possibly as discomfiting for some in his party as his internet history, seem almost optimized for social media virality.
—Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
Josh O’Connor and Emily Blunt are his overwhelmed disciples, imbued with discomfiting powers that could be key to making contact with these otherworldly guests.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 10 June 2026
The sheer amount of information is discomfiting, and that’s the point.
—Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 May 2026
Scenes are rendered with an diorama-esque economy of mise en scene that feels unreal, almost game-like — an aesthetic met with meaning in the film’s final act — and Nagahisa and Takeda take every opportunity to present the city from a different, often discomfiting angle.
—Blake Simons, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
The material can be discomfiting to take in, but Ronan anchors Maria’s every move in the character’s stubborn belief that her actions are well intentioned.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discomfiting
Adjective
-
But the game takes a turn when Rulla pulls a question about the most embarrassing thing your partner has ever done in public.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
15 June 2026
-
Hearing those comments from a friend must have been incredibly hurtful and embarrassing for her.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
The documentary’s contradiction is right there, enthralling us with the wild achievements Potter pulled off and frustrating us with his bombast, leading us to ponder whether, as The Dark Wizard suggests, either could exist without the other.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
-
Mack and the Chargers’ defense pressured quarterbacks Jalen Hurts of the Eagles and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs, frustrating them and keeping them out of their comfort zones.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
20 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Cancers can release this protein into the tumor microenvironment, where the molecule attaches to the T cells and change their ability to communicate with other cells, confusing the T cells and restricting their ability to survive and kill cancer.—
Charles J. Dimitroff,
The Conversation,
12 June 2026
-
While the numbers, nutrients, and ingredient lists may seem confusing at first, learning how to read nutrition labels can tell you a lot about what’s actually in the food.—
Amy Brownstein,
Verywell Health,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Still, the atmosphere was uncomfortable enough that Habermas left the institute a year later, to write his Habilitation, or second dissertation, a requirement for qualifying as a professor in German universities.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
Don’t suffer through summer in uncomfortable shoes.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
For more than four minutes Darnold drove downfield, connecting on three of four passes, baffling the pass rushers, bleeding the clock, and by the time the Seahawks finally gave the ball back, the Rams had only 25 seconds to live.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
-
Though some of the recent playoff defeats have been baffling and call for self-evaluation within the organization, the culture has been a huge net positive overall.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
This imbalance is perhaps not expressly disconcerting much of the time.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
-
There was also some disconcerting history to consider.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The awkward situation that Thiago is talking about involves receiving the ball with his back to a player who is closing him down at speed from behind.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
Almost nine years after their awkward handshake at the 2017 Bastille Day military parade, the two men politely shook hands and expressed their affinity for each other.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Winds of up to 50 mph stoked the flames and severely limited the fire response by hampering boat and aircraft access to the remote island.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
-
The systematic dismantling of USAID has led to catastrophic humanitarian situations in Africa, including hampering the global response to the current Ebola outbreak.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Discomfiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discomfiting. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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