daunt

[ dawnt, dahnt ]

verb (used with object)

1. to overcome with fear; intimidate:

   to daunt one's adversaries.

   Synonyms: frighten, dismay, subdue, overawe

2. to lessen the courage of; dishearten:

   Don't be daunted by the amount of work still to be done.

   Synonyms: dispirit, discourage

   Antonyms: encourage

daunt

/ dɔːnt /

verb

1. to intimidate
2. to dishearten

Derived Forms

• ˈdaunter, noun

Other Words From

• daunting·ly adverb
• daunting·ness noun
• un·daunting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of daunt¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English da(u)nten, from Anglo-French da(u)nter, Old French danter, alteration of donter (probably by influence of dangier “power, authority”; danger ), from Latin domitāre “to tame,” derivative of domitus “tamed,” past participle of domāre “to tame”

Word History and Origins

Origin of daunt¹

C13: from Old French danter, changed from donter to conquer, from Latin domitāre to tame

Example Sentences

He maintains close relationships with some House Republicans who backed a different speaker candidate last winter, in a dispute that fueled party divisions that continue to daunt the chamber.

From Seattle Times

The fact that their majority was much smaller than they expected did not daunt them any more than it daunted the House Republicans in 1998 when they unexpectedly lost seats as they pursued the impeachment of President Clinton.

From Salon

The Cambridge-educated Daunt had started his own chain of independent bookstores in Britain, then taken over as CEO of Waterstones, a floundering British bookstore chain that Elliott had acquired in June 2018.

From Los Angeles Times

The apparent turnaround at Barnes & Noble isn’t entirely the product of Daunt’s strategy.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s also true that Daunt’s key strategic move of giving store managers the latitude to make inventory decisions themselves rather than binding them to central ordering out of New York parallels the approach of independent bookstores nationwide.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• baffle
• deter
• discourage
• dishearten
• dismay
• dispirit
• horrify
• intimidate
• scare
• subdue
• terrify