Word.ws English Dictionary

discomfiting

Syllables: dis·com·fit·ing/dɪsˈkʌmfɪtɪŋ/

discomfiting adjective: tending to discomfit (“embarrass greatly; upset the composure of, disconcert”). Also the present participle and gerund of discomfit.

Adjective

discomfiting (comparative more discomfiting, superlative most discomfiting)

  1. Tending to discomfit (“embarrass greatly; upset the composure of, disconcert”).
    • O I am deadly ſick!—reach me that thing, boy—'tis the moſt diſcomfiting ſickness— [...]1765, [Laurence Sterne], chapter II, in The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, volume VII, London: […] T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt, […], →OCLC, page 9
    • Under ſuch diſcomfiting circumſtance as general neglect, and that too palpable to be miſunderſtood, the whole of this picture was buried in oblivion; [...]1793, “a Personal Observer” [pseudonym], Truth Opposed to Fiction. Or, An Authentic and Impartial Review of the Life of the Late Right Honourable the Earl of Barrymore. […], London: […] C. and G....

Also used as

discomfiting is also the present participle and gerund of discomfit.

Examples of discomfiting in a sentence

  • Streaker, the housemaid, too, had an attribute of a most discomfiting nature.1859 December 13, [Charles Dickens], “[The Haunted House] The Mortals in the House”, in Charles Dickens, editor, All the Year Round. A...
  • The waiter noticed my discomfiting state and poured more tea.1992, Alejandro Morales, chapter 14, in The Rag Doll Plagues, Houston, Tex.: Arte Público Press, →ISBN, page 64:
  • Imagination, like memory, can be selective, editing out those details which are painful or discomfiting.2007, Sam Portaro, “Martin Luther King, Jr.: Civil Rights Leader, 1968”, in Brightest and Best: A Companion to the Lesser Feasts and Fasts...

Synonyms of discomfiting

Forms of discomfiting

comparativemore discomfiting
superlativemost discomfiting
alternative formdiscomfitting

Origin of discomfiting

From discomfit + -ing.

Words formed from discomfiting

Questions about discomfiting

What does discomfiting mean?
Discomfiting means tending to discomfit (“embarrass greatly; upset the composure of, disconcert”).
How do you use discomfiting in a sentence?
Streaker, the housemaid, too, had an attribute of a most discomfiting nature.
What part of speech is discomfiting?
Discomfiting is an adjective.
How do you pronounce discomfiting?
Discomfiting is pronounced /dɪsˈkʌmfɪtɪŋ/ (UK).

Words near discomfiting in the dictionary

  1. discomedusan
  2. discomedusans
  3. discomfit
  4. discomfited
  5. discomfiteth
  6. discomfiting
  7. discomfitingly
  8. discomfits
  9. discomfitted
  10. discomfitting
  11. discomfiture

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: discomfiting (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-discomfiting.wav, En-us-discomfiting.mp3.

Cite this entry: “discomfiting.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/discomfiting. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.