noun

discomfiture

dis-KUM-fi-cher/dɪsˈkʌmfɪtʃər/

The unsettling of someone's confidence or plans.

Her discomfiture is obvious as her house of cards collapses.

A woman reacts with embarrassed frustration after her carefully assembled house of cards collapses in front of a companion; the falling cards make the setback visible.

Etymology

disOld Frenchnot, undoing

+comLatinwith

+fitLatinto make, do

+ureOld Frenchaction or result

The making or accomplishing base was reversed into “undo, defeat,” originally in battle. That defeat broadened into frustration of someone’s plans and then the embarrassment or confusion felt after a setback.

In context

The 1928 Club167:42

Whether he was sulky, or whether he was bashful, after his discomfiture in the rose-garden, I can’t say.

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins | Part 1: The Loss of the Diamond | Full Audiobook

More examples

He laughs to hide his discomfiture when he forgets her name.
The unexpected objection adds to the chair's discomfiture.
To the organizers' discomfiture, nobody volunteers for their ambitious project.

Forms

discomfiture

discomfit verb — To unsettle people's confidence or frustrate their plans.

Similar words

embarrassment: Emphasizes awkwardness or shame rather than the frustration of plans.
confusion: Emphasizes difficulty understanding rather than embarrassment or shaken confidence.
frustration: Emphasizes distress over blocked goals rather than embarrassed unease.