discomfiture

noun

dis·​com·​fi·​ture dis-ˈkəm(p)-fə-ˌchu̇r How to pronounce discomfiture (audio)
-chər,
 especially Southern  -ˌt(y)u̇r
: the act of discomfiting : the state of being discomfited

Examples of discomfiture in a Sentence

blushed and lowered her eyes in evident discomfiture
Recent Examples on the Web Everywhere, Ryback says, the cartoonists and editorialists delighted in Hitler’s discomfiture. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024 Back in the States, Frankie suffers from terrifying episodes of PTSD, from society’s refusal to believe that women served in the conflict and from her own parents’ discomfiture over her service. Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 Sohel’s father, an aristo to his fingertips, would have been amused to think of a Dunyapur peasant having an opinion on the matter at all, and might have called him over to enjoy his discomfiture in the presence of the Begum Sahiba’s bikini. Daniyal Mueenuddin, The New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2021 Marsac’s discomfiture nevertheless leads to something utterly unexpected. Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2021 When the aliens did not appear, some members of the group became disillusioned and immediately departed, but others dealt with their discomfiture by doubling down on their conviction. Zoë Heller, The New Yorker, 5 July 2021 Kedar is sung after eight o’clock in the evening, and to sing it at twilight, at six o’clock, would create slight discomfiture. Amit Chaudhuri, Harper's Magazine, 16 Mar. 2021 The Chinese government has certainly sought to profit from American discomfiture over COVID-19, trumpeting its own record in confronting the pandemic. Peter Ford, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 June 2020 This kind of discomfiture was what Pride Circle had attempted to resolve before the job fair with online registrations. Manavi Kapur, Quartz India, 27 Feb. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'discomfiture.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of discomfiture was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near discomfiture

Cite this Entry

“Discomfiture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discomfiture. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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