discomfiture
/dɪsˈkʌmfɪtʃə(ɹ)/
discomfiture means defeat in battle. It carries an Arena rating of 1785, earned across 39 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, discomfiture ranks #1,119 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #2,230 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,805 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #2,843 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words.
discomfiture is pronounced /dɪsˈkʌmfɪtʃə(ɹ)/.
Why “discomfiture” is a great word
DISCOMFITURE — [Noun] A state of frustration, embarrassment, or disconcertment. From Old French desconfiture ("rout, defeat"), from desconfit, past participle of desconfire ("to defeat, destroy"). First attested in English in the mid-14th century. Unlike "discomfort," which denotes a physical unease, or "confusion," which emphasizes a lack of clarity, discomfiture is the specific, searing heat of a psychological rout. It is the blood-rush to the cheeks when a witticism falls dead in a silent room, the fumble of keys that will not fit the lock under a watchful gaze, the stammered reply that perfectly confirms an unspoken accusation—a private defeat, silently endured.
Etymology
From Old French desconfiture (“rout, defeat”); compare French déconfiture.
noun
- Defeat in battle.
- An emotional state similar to that arising from defeat; frustration, disappointment, perplexity or embarrassment.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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