What is the nuance of the verb 당황스럽다 ?
When I check on any dictionary, the translation for 당황스럽다 is "to be embarrassed", "to be disconcerted". But as you know, there are many other words to describe these emotions in Korean. So I would like to know the nuance of this word, what is its connotation ? I would be gratful if you could illustrate your explanation with examples. Thank you !

Question

Answer

I would say 당황스럽다 is more "disconcerted" than "embarrassed", but it usually implies both.

It means being surprised and not knowing what to do faced with an unforeseen difficulty. As a result you lose your composure and feel embarrassed about it.

Here are some examples from the dictionaries.
- 당황스러운 모습 - a confused/embarrassed look.
- 당황스러운 사태 - a confounding turn of events.
- 당황스러운 상황 - a disconcerting situation.
- 당황스러운 얼굴 - a disconcerted look/face.

- 네가 떠난다니까 왠지 당황스러운데? I feel kind of at a loss at the news you're leaving.
- 나는 회사의 갑작스러운 해고 통보에 매우 당황스러웠다 - I was floored when I received the unexpected termination notice from the company.

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