うろたえる

う

ろ

た

え

る

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

うろたえる · ichidan verb

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	うろたえる	うろたえない
Polite	うろたえます	うろたえません
Past polite	うろたえました	うろたえませんでした
Past	うろたえた	うろたえなかった
Te-form	うろたえて	うろたえないで
Desire	うろたえたい	うろたえたくない
Potential	うろたえられるalso うろたえれる	うろたえられないalso うろたえれない
Passive	うろたえられる	うろたえられない
Causative	うろたえさせる	うろたえさせない
Causative passive	うろたえさせられる	うろたえさせられない
Volitional	うろたえよう
Polite volitional	うろたえましょう
Imperative	うろたえろ	うろたえるな
Conditional	うろたえれば	うろたえなければ
Tara conditional	うろたえたら	うろたえなかったら

Meanings

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

be flustered; lose composure; panic

usually written using kana alone

Describes a state of mental agitation where one loses calmness and acts confused or panicked, often due to an unexpected event.

突とつ然ぜんの質しつ問もんにうろたえてしまった。
I got flustered by the sudden question.
彼かれはうろたえた様よう子すで部屋へやを出でて行いった。
He left the room looking flustered.

See all 12 example sentences ›

Kanji

狼wolf
狽wolf, be flurried

Related words

慌あわてるN3
うろたえる stresses visible bewilderment and not knowing what to do, whereas 慌てる more broadly covers panicked haste as well as mental fluster.
戸と惑まどうN2
うろたえる implies visible panic or loss of composure in a sudden crisis, while 戸惑う is milder and just means being puzzled or unsure what to do.
どぎまぎN1
うろたえる is a plain verb meaning to lose one's composure in a crisis, while どぎまぎ is a mimetic adverb/suru-verb for a lighter, often embarrassed fluster.

Written forms

うろたえるUsage92%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 狼狽える is rare and may not be recognized by all readers.
狼狽うろたえるUsage8%
Kanji form is uncommon and may be difficult to read; prefer kana spelling.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain; it may be related to the mimetic word うろうろ (wandering aimlessly) combined with a verb-forming suffix, but the exact derivation is unclear.