dissatisfied
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dissatisfied
First recorded in 1665–75; dissatisfy + -ed 2
Explanation
If you're dissatisfied, you're not happy — you're annoyed and disgruntled. You probably don't enjoy eating out with your parents if they're always dissatisfied with the food they order. You might be dissatisfied with the final episode of your favorite TV show, or dissatisfied with your grades n German last semester. In either case, you're not pleased. A slightly different way to be dissatisfied is to be unconvinced: "She was dissatisfied with the answer he gave when she asked when he planned to pay back the money he owed her." Dissatisfied combines dis-, "not," and satisfied, from a Latin root, satisfacere, "do enough."
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.
Dissatisfied with statements by officials that the water was safe, they asked for a second opinion.
From Scientific American • Mar. 24, 2023
Dissatisfied with cobbling, Fosso apprenticed with an Igbo photographer down the street.
From New York Times • Jan. 5, 2023
Dissatisfied with Beijing’s response to its questions, the commission has requested the establishment of a WTO panel to hear the dispute.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 7, 2022
Dissatisfied with fame and fortune, Bowie finds happiness with the supermodel Iman, his wife from 1992 until his death.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 30, 2022
Dissatisfied with the courses offered, she dropped out after a year.
From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose
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.
