daunt

/dɔːnt/ (bre, ipa) · /dɔːnt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdȯnt ˈdänt/ (ame, mw)

daunt — verb

  • dauntpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • dauntshe / she / it
  • dauntedpast simple
  • daunting-ing form

1. to lower a person's confidence about doing something difficult — they begin to f

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to lower a person's confidence about doing something difficult — they begin to fear they may not be good enough or strong enough to manage it.

例句

The size of the reading list daunted Apinya on her first day of law school.

daunt + person (transitive)

Asher was daunted by the long climb up to the temple in the mountains.

passive: be daunted by + task

同義詞
  • intimidate

    stronger; suggests deliberate fear caused by another person

  • discourage

    broader; can be about losing motivation generally, not just confidence

  • unnerve

    more about sudden loss of composure than long-term doubt

反義詞
  • encourage

    boost the person's confidence rather than lower it

  • embolden

    make someone feel braver to act

文法句型

daunt + person

be daunted by + situation/task

用法筆記

Frequently passive (be daunted by + noun) when describing the learner's reaction; the active form (X daunts Y) usually has an abstract subject — a task, prospect, or scale — rather than a person.

常見錯誤

❌The teacher daunted the students with hard homework.
✅The hard homework daunted the students.
💡the subject of 'daunt' is normally the difficult thing, not the person assigning it.
❌I felt daunt before the interview.
✅I felt daunted before the interview.
💡use the past participle 'daunted' as an adjective after feel/be/seem.