Literary notes about Discomfited (AI summary)
Literary use of "discomfited" vividly conveys a sense of defeat, embarrassment, or unease in both physical and emotional contexts. In many texts, it portrays the dismay of characters in battle, where a commander or warrior is rendered ineffective or demoralized, as seen when a general is overtaken in combat [1][2]. In other works, the term reflects a more personal discomfort—a sudden loss of poise or self-assurance during social interactions or internal struggles [3][4][5]. Whether describing the retreat of enemy forces or the subtle shifts in character dynamics, "discomfited" effectively captures moments of vulnerability and the impact of unexpected reversals in fortune [6][7][8].
- “The king of the Panchalas, beholding his general thus discomfited in the encounter, himself began to shower his arrows upon the Pandava prince.
— from The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1 - Yet the arms and discipline of the Romans easily discomfited these horrid phantoms.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - “If Miss Havisham wished to see me,” returned Mr. Pumblechook, discomfited.
— from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - Jude looked discomfited, and the boy distressed.
— from Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy - ‘Agnes,’ said I. As we had arranged to say nothing at first, my aunt was not a little discomfited.
— from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens - Mr. Gradgrind was extremely discomfited by this unexpected question.
— from Hard Times by Charles Dickens - Poor Danglars looked so crest-fallen and discomfited that Monte Cristo assumed a pitying air towards him.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - 'Oh!' said Wegg, slightly discomfited, but not much as yet: 'one and one is two not dismissed, is it?
— from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
