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DISCOMPOSED
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Having your composure disturbed
Example:
looked about with a wandering and discomposed air
Classified under:
Similar:
abashed; chagrined; embarrassed (feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed)
blushful; blushing; red-faced (having a red face from embarrassment or shame or agitation or emotional upset)
bothered; daunted; fazed (caused to show discomposure)
discombobulated; disconcerted (having self-possession upset; thrown into confusion)
flustered; hot and bothered; perturbed; rattled (thrown into a state of agitated confusion; ('rattled' is an informal term))
unstrung (emotionally upset)
Also:
agitated (troubled emotionally and usually deeply)
undignified (lacking dignity)
Antonym:
composed (serenely self-possessed and free from agitation especially in times of stress)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
Past simple / past participle of the verb discompose
Context examples:
I do not know of any other designs that he had formed; but he was in such a hurry to be gone, and his spirits so greatly discomposed, that I had difficulty in finding out even so much as this.
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
But Sunday made her a very creditable and tolerably cheerful-looking Mrs. Price, coming abroad with a fine family of children, feeling a little respite of her weekly cares, and only discomposed if she saw her boys run into danger, or Rebecca pass by with a flower in her hat.
(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)
Whenever she was particularly discomposed, she always performed one of these pedestrian feats; and the amount of her discomposure might always be estimated by the duration of her walk.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
The gray steed rubbed my hat all round with his right fore-hoof, and discomposed it so much that I was forced to adjust it better by taking it off and settling it again; whereat, both he and his companion (who was a brown bay) appeared to be much surprised: the latter felt the lappet of my coat, and finding it to hang loose about me, they both looked with new signs of wonder.
(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)
For your very great politeness, I am sure, said Miss Murdstone; with an irony which no more affected my aunt, than it discomposed the cannon I had slept by at Chatham.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
The fierceness of this creature’s countenance altogether discomposed me; though I stood at the farther end of the table, above fifty feet off; and although my mistress held her fast, for fear she might give a spring, and seize me in her talons.
(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)
So very emphatically and unexpectedly, that we were all three discomposed; until Tiffey came in with the bill.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
I had been discomposed enough before; but I was so much the more discomposed by this unexpected behaviour, that I was on the point of slinking off, to think how I had best proceed, when there came out of the house a lady with her handkerchief tied over her cap, and a pair of gardening gloves on her hands, wearing a gardening pocket like a toll-man's apron, and carrying a great knife.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
