What does daunt mean?
To daunt means to make someone feel intimidated or discouraged, particularly when confronting something formidable. It appears most often in negative or negated forms: people are described as 'undaunted' by setbacks, or the phrase 'nothing daunted' signals that a person's resolve remains intact despite adversity. The word carries a formal, somewhat literary tone; in casual conversation speakers tend to prefer 'intimidate' or 'faze.' Its derivatives are especially valuable — 'daunting' characterizes tasks that seem overwhelming ('a daunting prospect'), while 'dauntless' praises fearless, persistent courage, as in a dauntless explorer. The verb derives from the Old French 'danter', ultimately from the Latin 'domare', meaning 'to tame' or subdue — a fitting ancestry, since to be daunted is to have one's spirit subdued. Because it so often describes courage maintained rather than lost, the word has a quietly heroic connotation: what does not daunt us reveals our strength.
verbTo daunt someone is to make them feel intimidated, discouraged, or disheartened, especially in the face of a daunting task, danger, or difficulty.
- To intimidate or discourage someone; to cause loss of courage in the face of danger or difficulty.
"She was not daunted by the scale of the challenge and set to work immediately."
"He was not daunted by the enormous amount of work ahead."
"Nothing daunted, she tried again."
The word 'daunt' comes from the Latin 'domare', meaning 'to tame' — so when something fails to daunt you, you remain untamed by it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of daunt
Daunt entered English from Middle English, borrowed from the Old French 'danter', meaning to tame or subdue. This in turn traces back to the Latin 'domare', meaning 'to tame' — the same root that gives English words like 'dominate' and 'domestic'. The sense shifted from physically subduing something to figuratively subduing a person's courage, which is how the modern meaning of intimidating or discouraging arose.
Related word forms
How daunt is actually used
Most frequently used in negative constructions such as 'undismayed,' 'not daunted,' 'undaunted,' or the fixed phrase 'nothing daunted.' It carries a formal or literary register. The adjective 'dauntless' (fearless) is more common than the base verb in everyday speech.
Easily confused with daunt
'Flaunt' means to display something ostentatiously, while 'daunt' means to intimidate or discourage.