daunt
/dɔ:nt/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To cause someone to lose courage or confidence; to make someone feel intimidated or discouraged.
- To subdue or overcome by instilling fear.
Usage
- The verb daunt is typically used with a person or group of people as the object. It describes the action of making them feel afraid or less confident about doing something.
- It is often used in passive constructions (e.g., "be daunted by") to describe the state of feeling intimidated.
- Daunt implies a psychological effect that discourages action or progress.
Examples
- Verb:
- The sheer size of the task did not daunt her.
- Many climbers are daunted by the mountain's north face.
- He refused to be daunted by the criticism.
Advanced Usage
- "Nothing daunted": Used to describe someone who is not discouraged or intimidated at all.
- Nothing daunted, she applied for the job a second time.
- "Daunting" (Adjective): Causing fear, intimidation, or discouragement due to perceived difficulty or scale.
- They faced the daunting challenge of rebuilding the city.
Variants and Related Words
- Daunting (adj.): Intimidating or discouraging through being impressively large, formidable, or difficult.
- a daunting prospect
- Dauntless (adj.): Incapable of being intimidated or subdued; fearless.
- a dauntless hero
Synonyms
- Intimidate: To frighten or overawe someone, especially to make them do what one wants.
- Discourage: To cause someone to lose confidence or enthusiasm.
- Dismay: To cause someone to feel consternation and distress.
- Appall: To greatly dismay or horrify.
Antonyms
- Encourage: To give support, confidence, or hope to someone.
- Hearten: To make more cheerful or confident.
- Embolden: To give someone the courage or confidence to do something.
Phrasal Verbs
(This word does not commonly form phrasal verbs.)
Related Idioms
- "To be daunted by the prospect (of something)": To be intimidated or discouraged by the thought of a future, often difficult, event or task.
- She was initially daunted by the prospect of public speaking.
Verb
- cause to lose courage
- dashed by the refusal