dismay
Americanverb (used with object)
-
dismays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dismayed,
past participle, past
-
dismaying
present participle
-
to break down the courage of completely, as by sudden danger or trouble; dishearten thoroughly; daunt.
The surprise attack dismayed the enemy.
- Synonyms:
- intimidate, scare, frighten, terrify, appall
- Antonyms:
- hearten
-
to surprise in such a manner as to disillusion.
She was dismayed to learn of their disloyalty.
-
to alarm; perturb.
The new law dismayed some of the more conservative politicians.
noun
-
sudden or complete loss of courage; utter disheartenment.
- Synonyms:
- fear, horror, panic, terror, consternation, disconcert
- Antonyms:
- confidence
-
sudden disillusionment.
-
agitation of mind; perturbation; alarm.
verb
-
to fill with apprehension or alarm
-
to fill with depression or discouragement
noun
Synonym Usage
See discourage.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dismaysimple
-
dismayssimple
-
have dismayedperfect
-
has dismayedperfect
-
am dismayingprogressive
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are dismayingprogressive
-
is dismayingprogressive
-
have been dismayingperfect progressive
-
has been dismayingperfect progressive
Past
-
dismayedsimple
-
had dismayedperfect
-
was dismayingprogressive
-
were dismayingprogressive
-
had been dismayingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dismay
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English desmay (noun), de(s)mayen, dismayen (verb), from presumed Anglo-French alteration, by prefix change, of Old French esmaier “to trouble, frighten,” from unattested Vulgar Latin exmagāre “to disable, deprive of strength,” equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + unattested magāre, from unattested Germanic magan “to be able to”; see may 1
Explanation
If you discover late Sunday night that the dog really did eat your homework, you might cry out in dismay. Dismay describes an emotional state of alarm, fear, or serious disappointment. The first part of dismay comes from the Latin prefix dis-, which comes in handy when you want to put a negative spin on words (dishonest, discount, disenchant, etc.). The last bit of dismay most likely comes from the Germanic word magan, meaning "to be able to." You can employ the word dismay to describe how you feel in a variety of negative situations that you doubt you are able to handle.
Vocabulary lists containing dismay
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
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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:
Since April, sites in Hertfordshire, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and elsewhere have been transformed, prompting legal battles and local dismay.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
In Los Palos Grandes, one of Caracas's most expensive middle-class neighborhoods and one of the hardest hit, three residents stare with dismay at the red sign placed on their building.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
The armchair referee system, so far from unassailable, is also unappealable — to U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino’s dismay.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Your own shock and Burack’s dismay are shared by others, it appears.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
Haiyi stopped sweeping and looked at Lady Meng, her eyes full of sympathy and dismay.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
Yet the world's inability to fund more Mosquirix shots dismays many in Africa.
From Reuters ● Jul. 13, 2022
You might “say this concerns you, that it dismays you,” he said, but that “you’re not trying to second-guess” the president.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 1, 2022
The vanishing of the old nomadic ways dismays Li, but when she expressed this to a trader, he looked at her and asked, “Have we Kazakhs not suffered enough for you yet?”
From Slate ● Feb. 24, 2021
Charlie dismays at his sister, Sally, saying all she wants “is my fair share,” and at Linus’ sister, Lucy, complaining about her gifts while what she really wants is real estate.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 19, 2020
From the little he knows about Russian writers, it dismays him that his parents chose the weirdest namesake.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
"A sad and reproachable series of events - which were thankfully concluded with the project permanently abandoned - for as much as we feel dismayed by them, should not overshadow this reality," Grafstrom wrote.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
They were also dismayed and confused by the news that green card applicants would possibly have to leave the country.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 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
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
Zeitoun watched, dismayed, as it rose four, five, six feet in the house—above the electrical box, the phone box.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
Since Shakespeare’s verse for the young lovers is among his most rhapsodic and hypnotically beautiful, the choice is dismaying.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
The co-owner of the Swiss bar hit by a deadly fire during New Year celebrations was released from custody on Friday after bail was paid on his behalf, dismaying victims' families.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
Within that sphere we’re treated to a voice performance by Woods that is a small, hilarious, somewhat dismaying tour de force.
From New York Times ● Jan. 24, 2024
It is dismaying that when a cougar kills livestock that the solution is to kill the cougar.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 10, 2023
Hard on that thought followed the image of the wineskin, like a dismaying answer.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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.
