disappointment
noun
the act or fact of disappointing.
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disappointment
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Disappointment
DisappointmentnounCape Disappointment, a cape in southwestern Washington State, projecting into the Pacific Ocean on the north of the mouth of the Columbia River.
disappointment
1 American
[dis-uh-point-muhnt]
/ ˌdɪs əˈpɔɪnt mənt /
noun
-
disappointments
plural
-
the act or fact of disappointing.
All of his efforts only led to the disappointment of his supporters.
- Synonyms:
- frustration, defeat, failure
-
the state or feeling of being disappointed.
Her disappointment was very great when she didn't get the job.
-
a person or thing that disappoints.
The play was a disappointment.
Disappointment
2
American
[dis-uh-point-muhnt]
/ ˌdɪs əˈpɔɪnt mənt /
noun
disappointment
British
/ ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntmənt /
noun
-
the act of disappointing or the state of being disappointed
-
a person, thing, or state of affairs that disappoints
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of disappointment
First recorded in 1605–15; disappoint + -ment
Explanation
A disappointment is what happens when things don't go your way. That sad, frustrated feeling of loss that follows? It's also called disappointment. The noun disappointment comes from the Middle French word disappointer, meaning “undo the appointment,” or “remove from office.” It is true that a friend canceling your plans or losing your job is a disappointment, but today disappointment can describe anything that crushes your hopes, ruins your day, or otherwise lets you down.
Vocabulary lists containing disappointment
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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-ment
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"Pass It On," "If There Be Pain," and "Sonnet 30"
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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.
See Examples For:
The PGA Tour has expressed disappointment over the video.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
"Over the last several days, we have listened and reflected deeply on the hurt and disappointment caused by the video we reposted," it said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
JPMorgan said the lack of a buyback announcement and unchanged shareholder return amount “could be a near-term disappointment to recently elevated investor expectations.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
A spokesperson for TUI, said: "We understand the disappointment and frustration caused to affected customers."
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
They quiz me on food I’ve never heard of and then shake their heads in disappointment when I inevitably fail.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Disappointment from Broadcom’s earnings report Wednesday evening triggered the first wave of AI stock selling on Thursday, but the slide spilled over into early morning trading today.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
Disappointment is a familiar feeling when it comes to Find a Grave.
From Slate ● Oct. 24, 2024
All was going according to plan until they approached Disappointment Cleaver.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 25, 2023
"It hadn't ever crossed my mind that I wouldn't be playing. Disappointment and rejection were emotions I hadn't really had to encounter before."
From BBC ● May 4, 2023
Disappointment flooded through me as my eyes unerringly focused on his table.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
“I love my mountain of disappointments, I do, but I’m human and my mountain is starting to sting more than it used to,” Krumholtz said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
At an estate nestled in New York’s Hudson Valley, a group of high achievers gathered to talk about the sacrifices and disappointments that can come with success.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
And we come from two years of disappointments of upgrades.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
As the country celebrates 250 years since independence, many Americans and immigrants know the daily reality of chasing that dream -- through countless disappointments and endless striving.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Maybe she’d be happier without having to think about Dimple every single second, without Dimple’s many disappointments in her face all day, every day.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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.
