a1631 J. Donne XXVI Serm. (1661) x. 137 It is a disordering, a discomposing, a distemper of the mind.

1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. xvii. 51 I shall crave the Reader pardon, if herein I make excursions into many years, (but without discomposing of our Chronologie on the margin).

1660 R. Baxter Catholick Vnity 333 They must waste their hours..in Conferences and wrangling-Disputations, to the discomposing of their own and others minds.

1754 J. Burgh Dignity Human Nature iii. viii. 266 The ruffling of his own or his neighbour's temper, or the discomposing of their spirits.

1836 E. Pickering Merchant's Daughter I. i. 29 Stepping back from the window as hastily as he had stepped towards it, to..the discomposing of well-set sleeves.

1878 Belgravia Oct. 424 To make necessary the rising and discomposing of the whole Montmorris party.

1905 Windsor Mag. Aug. 479/2 Rather nonplussed for a moment, [she] has set her wits to the discomposing of this masculine superiority.

1961 I. Murdoch Severed Head ii. 21 A slight drooping and discomposing of essentially fine features.

1999 A. Mallinson Close Run Thing (2000) vi. 194 She would..be angered by the discomposing of Styles.

1663 R. Boyle Some Considerations Usefulnesse Exper. Nat. Philos. ii. v. 244 He..continued thus sick for three or four houres, 'till he had passed into a more temperate Air then that of the top of the Mountain; which..has every where..this discomposing property.

1674 R. Boyle Excellency Theol. ii. v. 220 A man that is not in love with a fair Lady..may have as true and perfect, though not as discomposing an Idea of her face.

1702 C. Mather Magnalia Christi 70/1 The People having their Spirits put into a Tumult by the discomposing and distempering Variety of Disasters.

1740 S. Richardson Pamela II. 385 I hope I have not one discomposing thing to say.

1827 Museum of Foreign Lit. & Sci. Nov. 452/1 The..fanciful spectres and goblins of all kinds, with which he has filled his pages,..were no less discomposing to him than if they had had a real existence.

1893 S. R. Crockett Stickit Minister 92 A tall girl..took the dominie round the neck in a discomposing manner.

1914 Munsey's Mag. Mar. 422/2 He blinked furiously, half-blinded but still able to make out the discomposing silhouette of a man seated just beyond the radius of glare.

1949 Lockhart (Texas) Post-Reg. 3 Mar. She laughed and gave him a discomposing poke in the ribs.

2000 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 10 Sept. vii. 36/3 This is an exciting, discomposing book.

1704 J. Hussey Stroke Divine Soveraignty 22 Neither was the Day of Judgment afterwards so discomposingly terrible to her apprehensions.

1891 G. Meredith One of our Conquerors III. xii. 247 Perfectly satisfactory, yet discomposingly violent, appeals.

1912 C. Hamilton Blindness of Virtue (1914) i. viii. 75 Small, bright eyes, the lid of one of which was permanently and discomposingly lower than the lid of the other.

2001 K. Sutcliffe Fever (2002) xviii. 311 He lifted her hand toward his lips as his discomposingly pale gaze shifted to hers.