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Discomfit vs Nonplus - What's the difference?

discomfit | nonplus |

As verbs the difference between discomfit and nonplus

is that discomfit is (archaic) to defeat completely; to rout while nonplus is to perplex or bewilder someone; to confound or flummox.

As an adjective discomfit

is (obsolete) discomfited; overthrown.

As a noun nonplus is

a state of perplexity or bewilderment.

discomfit

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • (archaic) To defeat completely; to rout.
  • * 1611 , Bible: King James Version , (w) 17:13,
    • And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
  • * (Edmund Spenser)
    • And his proud foes discomfit in victorious field.
  • To defeat the plans or hopes of; to frustrate.
  • * 1886 , (Andrew Lang) The Mark Of Cain , chapter 10,
    • In these disguises, Maitland argued, he would certainly avoid recognition, and so discomfit any mischief planned by the enemies of Margaret.
  • (proscribed) To embarrass greatly; to confuse; to perplex; to disconcert.
  • * 1853 , , Villette , chapter 20,
    • She is a pretty, silly girl: but are you apprehensive that her titter will discomfit the old lady?
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5 , passage=Then we relapsed into a discomfited silence, and wished we were anywhere else. But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud, and with such a hearty enjoyment that instead of getting angry and more mortified we began to laugh ourselves, and instantly felt better.}}

    Usage notes

    While widely used to mean “to embarrass, to disconcert”, prescriptive usage considers this a mistake (confusion with discomfort), and restrict discomfit to meaning “to defeat”.“ Discomfit zone]”, January 4, 2008, [http://www.grammarphobia.com/ Grammarphobia

    Synonyms

    * overthrow, vanquish * (frustrate) foil, thwart * abash, disconcert * See also

    See also

    * discomfort

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (obsolete) discomfited; overthrown
    • (Webster 1913)

    References

    nonplus

    English

    Noun

    (es)
  • A state of perplexity or bewilderment.
  • *, I.46:
  • *:altering Vaudemont'', to ''Vallemontanus , and metamorphosing them, by suting them to the Græcian or Latin tongue, we know not what to make of them, and are often at a non-plus .
  • * South
    • Both of them are a perfect nonplus and baffle to all human understanding.

    Verb

  • to perplex or bewilder someone; to confound or flummox

    • Derived terms

    * nonplussed