discomfort
/dɪsˈkʌmfət
/noun [mass noun]
1Slight pain: the patient complained of discomfort in the left calf...
- He was also examined by a police surgeon and his own GP, and said he had suffered pain and discomfort and a slight scratch to his arm.
- And apart from altered bowel movement, IBS sufferers also complain about feeling bloated, abdominal pain and discomfort.
- See your doctor if you experience blood flecks in your stools, a change in your regular bowel habits, abdominal pain or discomfort lasting two weeks or more, or unexplained weight loss.
Synonyms
pain, aches and pains, soreness, tenderness, irritation, stiffness, malaise;
ache, twinge, pang, throb, cramp, hurt
British informal gyp
1.1Worry or embarrassment: his remarks caused her discomfort...
- He didn't say a word, just hovered somewhere between embarrassment, happiness and discomfort for a while.
- We are drawn to his women not by attractive packages but by the humanity of his subjects, by their discomfort or embarrassment, mirth or sadness, the surge of their blood.
- While I have the support of my family, the fact that these charges are outstanding has created embarrassment and discomfort for them in our community and in our family.
Synonyms
embarrassment, discomfiture, unease, uneasiness, abashment, awkwardness, discomposure, confusion, agitation, nervousness, flusteredness, perturbation, distress, anxiety;
chagrin, mortification, shame, humiliation
rare disconcertment, disconcertion
1.2 [count noun] Something that causes one to feel uncomfortable: the discomforts of too much sun in summer...
- My sister spent several months there - and like everyone I've met who's ever been to the place, fell totally in love with it, despite its many ghastly discomforts and problems.
- As if by magic all the man's discomforts disappeared in a couple of days: his head was refreshed and his eyes became bright.
- Needless to say we're keeping all these environmental hazards and discomforts in mind and we'll be very, very careful to select our next house accordingly.
Synonyms
inconvenience, difficulty, bother, nuisance, vexation, drawback, disadvantage, trouble, problem, trial, tribulation;
lack of comfort, unpleasantness, hardship, distress;
British disbenefit
informal hassle
verb [with object]
1Make (someone) feel anxious or embarrassed: the unknown leaker’s purpose was to discomfort the Prime Minister...
- I like to see new things, though they often discomfort me.
- That's because there's something in the nature of live art that has the potential to discomfort us like no other form can.
- Although I was trained, I was quite discomforted by the new arrangement.
Synonyms
discomfit, make uneasy, make uncomfortable, embarrass, abash, disconcert, nonplus, discompose, take aback, unsettle, unnerve, put someone off their stroke, upset, ruffle, fluster, perturb, disturb;
chagrin, mortify
informal rattle, discombobulate, faze, set someone back on their heels
1.1 (often as adjective discomforting) Cause (someone) slight pain: if the patient’s condition has discomforting symptoms, these should be controlled...
- It's just before the point when the pain turns from discomforting to agonising that he lets go of my hand.
- In patients with significantly discomforting or disabling symptoms that are not controlled with standard measures, specific allergy testing may be warranted.
- The most discomforting abdominal pains are the acute and gripping ones.
Origin
Middle English (as a verb in the sense 'dishearten'): from Old French desconforter (verb), desconfort (noun), from des- (expressing reversal) + conforter 'to comfort' (see comfort).