FLUSTERING Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

flustering 1 of 2

adjective

as in embarrassing

causing embarrassment a flustering situation that left us all silent

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

flustering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of fluster

as in confusing

to throw into a state of self-conscious distress was flustered when her parents dragged out her baby pictures for her new boyfriend

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of flustering

Verb

The Pistons’ defense is swarming and flustering the Cavs. — Zach Harper, New York Times, 8 May 2026 But Seymour threw on a press, flustering the Patriots, who began to turn the ball over. — Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2026 In the first half the Horned Frogs were successful in flustering the freshman. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flustering

Adjective

Similarly, which athlete had the worst attempt at rapping and which rapper had the most embarrassing attempt at athletics?

— Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 25 Aug. 2026
The news of San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York’s arrest in Ohio Sunday for initially engaging in prostitution is undoubtedly embarrassing for York and concerning for the franchise.

— Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of embarrassing

Adjective

The Moon in Pisces moves through your 6th House of Work, Health, and Daily Routines while making an awkward angle to Venus in Libra and your 1st House of Self.

— Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Aug. 2026
Most of us have felt awkward during those first tentative steps back into dating.

— Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of awkward

Verb

The song was a frenetic evolution of Brooklyn drill—the grimy, bone-rattling subgenre of hip-hop popularized by Bobby Shmurda—and its instrumental by the British producer 808Melo gave it a brash East London bounce.

— Taran Dugal, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
The blockade choked one of the world’s most important shipping lanes and Iran dictated where the war’s frontline would be, rattling the global economy.

— Justin Fishel, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of rattling

Verb

It is filled with off-putting, perhaps even disconcerting antics, and teams don't want to add that to their locker room.

— Armando Salguero, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
One less gory but still disconcerting video shown in court was the bodycam footage from the night in February 2024 when members of the LA County Sheriff’s Department paid a visit to Burke’s Hollywood Hills home.

— Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 22 July 2026

Definition of disconcerting

Adjective

Activewear After sweating it out in your beloved activewear, avoid using the hotter temperatures in the washing machine to sanitize and remove unpleasant odors.

— Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 26 Aug. 2026
The mediocre screen was an unpleasant surprise given that this thing advertised 100 percent sRGB gamut coverage when it was announced and on its product page for many weeks (the Internet Archive captures it here).

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of unpleasant

Adjective

The losses linked to the demise of these groups are difficult to quantify, but participants and advocates say the impacts will reverberate across federal agencies for years.

— Katia Riddle, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026
Ground surveys can provide more detailed information at a particular site, but covering an entire subway corridor that way would be difficult.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of difficult

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“Flustering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flustering. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of flustering

adjective

verb

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