dissatisfaction
Americannoun
-
the state or attitude of not being satisfied; discontent; displeasure.
- Synonyms:
- uneasiness, disapproval, disappointment
-
a particular cause or feeling of displeasure or disappointment.
many dissatisfactions with the plan.
noun
Synonym Usage
Dissatisfaction, discontent, displeasure imply a sense of dislike for, or unhappiness in, one's surroundings. Dissatisfaction results from contemplating what falls short of one's wishes or expectations: dissatisfaction with the results of an afternoon's work. Discontent is a sense of lack and a general feeling of uneasy dislike for the conditions of one's life: feeling a continual vague discontent. Displeasure suggests a certain amount of anger as well as dissatisfaction: displeasure at being kept waiting.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of dissatisfaction
First recorded in 1630–40; dis- 1 + satisfaction
Explanation
When you're unhappy, disappointed, or annoyed about something, you feel a sense of dissatisfaction. Your dissatisfaction with your boring French class might inspire you to switch to beginning Mandarin. An entire country's dissatisfaction with their government can lead to a new administration being voted in, or in the case of extreme dissatisfaction, a revolution. Your dissatisfaction with the pasta dish you ordered might simply make you ask for a hamburger instead. Dissatisfaction adds the dis-, or "lack of," prefix to satisfaction, which originally referred to "an act by a priest to atone for sin," but came to mean "contentment" by the 14th century.
Vocabulary lists containing dissatisfaction
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.
See Examples For:
Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old Democratic socialist, capitalized on the state’s leftward turn and voter dissatisfaction with incumbents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
As they bicker and jab, their quiet dissatisfaction with their lives stops being so quiet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
MPs launched an inquiry into student loans in England this year amid "widespread dissatisfaction" over repayment terms.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
He said one of the most common sentiments he hears from voters whose doors he knocks on is broad dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party.
From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2026
But shortly afterward, she expressed her dissatisfaction about the way the home was being conducted.
From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry
But “The Book of Ayn” is rife with dissatisfactions — to its credit — and with self-aware jokes and serious questions about self-awareness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2023
The Harvard economics professor Ken Rogoff points out that many of the dissatisfactions it seeks to address would be more effectively achieved by a rigorous assault on monopolies than a take-down of the free market.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 19, 2018
The administrative job’s innate dissatisfactions are written between the lines of these books.
From Slate ● Aug. 16, 2018
The same could be said for much of “Claire from Hollywood,” even if it feels like there’s potential for greater dividends with a deeper exploration of Claire’s numerous dissatisfactions.
From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2017
Youth, eager, responsive to all noble ambitions and touched by all noble dissatisfactions with what is, makes its plan for what should be on a strictly logical basis.
From The Family and it's Members by Spencer, Anna Garlin
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.
