dismay vs take aback

dismay

verb
  • To take dismay or fright; to be filled with dismay. 

  • To render lifeless; to subdue; to disquiet. 

  • To cause to feel apprehension; great sadness, or fear; to deprive of energy 

noun
  • A sudden or complete loss of courage and firmness in the face of trouble or danger; overwhelming and disabling terror; a sinking of the spirits 

  • Condition fitted to dismay; ruin. 

take aback

verb
  • To surprise or shock; to discomfit. 

  • Of a ship: to catch it with the sails aback suddenly. 

How often have the words dismay and take aback occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )