consternate

[ kon-ster-neyt ]
See synonyms for consternate on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),con·ster·nat·ed, con·ster·nat·ing.
  1. to dismay, confuse, or terrify.

Origin of consternate

1
1645–55; <Latin consternātus, past participle of consternāre to unsettle, throw into confusion, perhaps intensive derivative of consternere to cover, spread (with) (con-con- + sternere to strew; cf. stratum), though sense development uncertain

Other words from consternate

  • un·con·ster·nat·ed, adjective

Words Nearby consternate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use consternate in a sentence

  • If we were to disarm, as these ladies advise, war would come upon us with consternate suddenness.

    Defenseless America | Hudson Maxim

British Dictionary definitions for consternate

consternate

/ (ˈkɒnstəˌneɪt) /


verb
  1. (tr; usually passive) to fill with anxiety, dismay, dread, or confusion

Origin of consternate

1
C17: from Latin consternāre, from sternere to lay low, spread out

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012