Make Your Point: UNDETERRED

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pronounce UNDETERRED:

UN duh TURD

connect this word to others:

When Indiana Jones enters the Well of the Souls, aware that it's crawling with snakes (asps, very dangerous), he's undeterred, or not stopped by his fear of the snakes.

In other words, he's undaunted, courageous, unfaltering, and in___id.

Can you recall that last synonym? It literally means "not shaking."

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

The word "deter" has Latin bits that literally mean "to frighten away." When something deters you from doing something, it stops you from doing it. For example, some people add sharp metal spikes to rooflines to deter birds from nesting there.

(Source)

Sometimes, the spikes fail to deter the birds, who, undeterred, carry on nesting on those rooftops and even use the spikes in their nests.

When you're undeterred from doing something, you're continuing on, doing whatever it is you're trying to do, not scared and not discouraged.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Past participle adjective: "He was undeterred by the snakes;" "Undeterred, he entered the pit of snakes."

Other forms:

Deter, deterred, deterring;
deterrent (both an adjective and a noun),
deterrence (a noun).

how to use it:

Pick the strong, emphatic, formal, semi-common word "undeterred" to describe people who, bravely or foolishly, take action even in the face of danger, trouble, or other people's disapproval. The word often has a positive tone.

Say that someone is undeterred by something: "Undeterred by the rude comments, Natalie continued streaming her game;" "As people dropped rude comments in the chat, Natalie, shaken but undeterred, played on."

examples:

"They found a narrow creek that barred their way. It was green and stagnant, thrust out like a slimy arm towards the enclosing hills. Gimli strode forward undeterred, and found that the water was shallow, no more than ankle-deep at the edge."
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, 1954

"Sylvia Ann Miller-Scarborough remembers when people of color had to pay a poll tax to vote in Houston. She recalls her grandmother, undeterred by such obstacles, reminding her how important it was to be heard at the ballot box."
— Ayanna Alexander, Chicago Tribune, 21 August 2023

has this page helped you understand "undeterred"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "undeterred" without saying "not put off" or "not discouraged."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "Undeterred by (some bad consequence), (someone) (continues to do something they believe is right)."

Example: "Undeterred by the violence over the planned removal of a Confederate statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, municipal leaders in cities across the United States said they would step up efforts to pull such monuments from public spaces."
— Chris Kenning, Reuters, 15 August 2017

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is "Oh Hey, That's the Title!"

I'll give you a short excerpt from a novel, a play, or a short story. In this excerpt, a character or a narrator actually says the story's title. (If not verbatim, then almost.) And you give me the story's title.

Highlight the hints if you need them, and see the answer by scrolling all the way down. Enjoy!

Try this one today:

"On foggy mornings, _____ _____ was truly a thing of beauty. This morning each thin strand was decorated with dozens of tiny beads of water. The web glistened in the light and made a pattern of loveliness and mystery, like a delicate veil."

To reveal the hints below, highlight the hidden white text.

Hint 1: This story was published in the year... 1952.
Hint 2: This story was written by... E. B. White.
Hint 3: The first letters of each word in this title are... "Ch____ W____."

review this word:

1. The precise opposite of UNDETERRED is DETERRED. But a pretty close opposite of UNDETERRED is

A. DISGUSTED.
B. DISTRACTED.
C. DISCOURAGED.

2. As TV Tropes explains it, a classically and constantly undeterred character is known as a _____

A. Barefoot Loon, often "cheerfully eccentric."
B. Chest of Medals, many of which are, "on closer inspection... for the military equivalent of being Milk Monitor."
C. Determinator, one who "always [moves] forward to their goals, no matter if their (many) wounds will make them drag or limp."

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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