discomposed

8.3

Feeling upset and not calm inside

adjective
/ˌdɪs.kəmˈpoʊzd/

: desconcertado

She appeared discomposed when she heard the unexpected news.

Examples

His discomposed manner revealed that something was wrong.
He became discomposed when he realized he had forgotten to prepare for the interview.
Despite her outward calm, he could see she was inwardly discomposed.
Don't be discomposed!
She felt discomposed during the unexpected meeting.
Even though she tried to smile, her discomposed expression showed her true feelings of anxiety.
The surprising news left her feeling discomposed and unsure of how to respond.

Synonyms

discombobulated

vsdiscomposed

Informal

2 9.9

Confused and unable to think clearly after something unexpected

is uneasy or unsettled but not necessarily confused

perturbed

vsdiscomposed

1 6.4

Worried or upset because of something unexpected

is uneasy or unsettled but less emotionally agitated

disquieted

vsdiscomposed

1 7.0

Feeling worried and uneasy about something

is uneasy or unsettled but less focused on worry

disconcerted

vsdiscomposed

1 6.9

Feeling confused and uneasy because something surprised you

is uneasy or unsettled without requiring surprise or confusion

fazed

vsdiscomposed

1 6.5

Not showing surprise or worry when something unexpected happens

is uneasy or unsettled without needing a specific surprising cause

consternated

vsdiscomposed

Archaic

8.4

Feeling very surprised and worried by something unexpected

is uneasy or unsettled more generally rather than reacting suddenly

Antonyms

calm

735 1.0

Not showing strong feelings and being very still

composed

1 4.3

Calm and in control of your feelings during stress

How Uneasy

panicked

16 4.6

disturbed

37 3.8

agitated

49 4.1

discomposed

8.3

uneasy

98 3.2

Surface Forms

discomposed positive

Morphology

discomposed = discompose (semi-transparent) = dis + compose + ed

The formation with '-ed' from 'discompose' is morphologically regular, but 'discompose' is rare and 'compose' is more often known as 'create/write', so learners may not reliably infer the 'disturb/lose composure' sense.

Etymology

The word discomposed comes from the part dis- ('not') and compose ('to put together' or 'to calm'), the same compose in the phrase 'compose yourself'. So, to be discomposed is to be 'not put together', which explains feeling uneasy or unsettled.