Showing Results for "dismayed"

See Also:

• past tense form of dismay.
• past participle of dismay.

dismayed

American  

[dis-meyd] / dɪsˈmeɪd /

adjective

1. thoroughly disheartened, as by sudden danger or trouble.

   When he was sick and in prison, and the non-cooperation movement ebbed, Gandhi was not dismayed or discouraged.

2. surprised and disillusioned or disappointed.

   Many were dismayed at the way the ad trivialized the Tibetan people's struggle for freedom and survival.

3. alarmed or perturbed.

   As a teacher in a K-8 school, I am extremely dismayed at the talk of more unstable funding for education.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of dismay.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• undismayed
  adjective
• dismayedness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of dismayed

dismay ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

When you're dismayed, you're aghast, or shocked by disappointment. Your dismayed teacher's face showed that she expected the test grades to be much higher. Dismayed describes feeling appalled or distressed. The word implies a sense of being let down, the way you'd feel if your favorite baseball team lost the World Series, or if your birthday present wasn't the ticket to France you'd hoped for, but was just a pink sweater. You can also feel dismayed when expecting more from someone, like being dismayed to see your environmental science teacher throwing recyclables in the trash.

Example Sentences

Nandy was dismayed by some Labour colleagues in Westminster who raised eyebrows at the celebrations.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

While Mr. Blanche was Republicans’ whipping boy, their real target was Mr. Trump, whose recent interventions in Republican politics have dismayed them.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

Tucci’s endearingly steadfast Nigel is finally applauded for his years of service to Runway, and I was dismayed to find myself rolling my eyes at how corny the moment felt.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

Warsh left the Fed in 2011, dismayed by the growth of its balance sheet in the aftermath of the financial crisis.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

When I finally got a light and looked about me, I was dismayed to see what a mess my guests had made of my tree house.

From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Related Words

• afraid
• agitated
• anguished
• anxious
• apprehensive
• edgy
• fearful
• impatient
• insecure
• irritable
• jittery
• nervous
• precarious
• restless
• shaky
• strained
• suspicious
• tense
• troubled
• uncomfortable