disappoint
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to fail to fulfill the expectations or wishes of.
His gross ingratitude disappointed us.
- Synonyms:
- disenchant, dishearten, disillusion, sadden
-
to defeat the fulfillment of (hopes, plans, etc.); thwart; frustrate.
to be disappointed in love.
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to fail to meet the expectations, hopes, desires, or standards of; let down
-
to prevent the fulfilment of (a plan, intention, etc); frustrate; thwart
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has disappointedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have disappointedperfect
-
have been disappointingperfect progressive
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disappointingparticiple
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disappointssingular 3rd person
-
am disappointingprogressive 1st person singular
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is disappointingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
has been disappointingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
are disappointingprogressive
Past
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had disappointedperfect
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was disappointingprogressive singular
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had been disappointingperfect progressive
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disappointedparticiple
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disappointedsimple
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were disappointingprogressive plural
Future
Etymology
Origin of disappoint
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Middle French word desappointer. See dis- 1, appoint
Explanation
When you fail to meet people's expectations, you disappoint them. You can also disappoint yourself or find that things let you down, like a rainy trip to the beach that disappoints you. The word disappoint comes from the Middle French word desappointer, which meant "dispossess of appointed office," in the 14th century. Today, disappoint can apply to anyone or anything that does not achieve the expected results — and ways to express that we are disappointed go beyond firing people or kicking them out of office. For example, if you buy a product that disappoints, you won't buy it again.
Vocabulary lists containing disappoint
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 4
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"The Fun They Had"
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Shiloh
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some — including him — wore shirts with a quote across the front: “Some people want to see you fail. Disappoint them.”
From Seattle Times • May 12, 2022
As you read this, the eternal time clock tracking the hours until Those Whom One Should Not Disappoint arrive at your front door for Thanksgiving Day Dinner is counting down.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 24, 2019
Ozge Samanci’s comics memoir of growing up in Turkey Dare to Disappoint is filled with such unexpected memories.
From Slate • Jan. 8, 2016
Disappoint and off you go to growth purgatory, maybe never to return. Amazon.com keeps renewing itself, but Cisco Systems got too big and faces declining operating profit margins so they shot Cisco at sunrise.
From Forbes • Apr. 19, 2011
Disappoint not then, I beseech you, for an hundred persons' sakes, as well as for mine, that uncle and that mother, whose displeasure I have heard you so often deplore.
From Clarissa Harlowe; or the history of a young lady — Volume 6 by Richardson, Samuel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
