The Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz appeared at first to be easily daunted, but, in fact, he showed unusual courage. Still, his efforts to daunt Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man were less than successful.
- Pronunciation: / dɔːnt/
- English description: cause to lose courage
- Synonyms: scare off
- Chinese Translation: 使胆怯(shi3 dan3 qie4)
- Spanish Translation: amedrentar
- ORIGIN: When bringing a new kitten home you don't want to daunt it by forcing it out of its carrier too soon—open the door and let it come out when it's ready. Daunt means to frighten or scare off and, conveniently, it rhymes with haunt, another word which means to frighten, thought in a creepier sense. Daunt often shows up as part of the adjective undaunted, which describes someone who remains unafraid or perseveres in the face of scary circumstances.
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
- It’s a daunting task, reflecting upon an event I wasn’t born to see yet feeling its impact regularly.
- Given the attenuated timetable and daunting obstacles, there is a risk that banks will lose interest and pursue less glamorous technologies instead.
*New word description, story and part of "EXAMPLE SENTENCE" are cited in Vocabulary
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