discontent
Americanadjective
noun
-
discontents
plural
-
Also discontentment. lack of contentment; dissatisfaction.
- Synonyms:
- inquietude, uneasiness, displeasure, restlessness
-
a restless desire or craving for something one does not have.
-
a malcontent.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
Also called: discontentment. lack of contentment, as with one's condition or lot in life
-
a discontented person
adjective
verb
Synonym Usage
See dissatisfaction.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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discontentednessnoun
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prediscontentnoun
-
prediscontentmentnoun
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discontentedadjective
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discontentedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of discontent
Explanation
When you experience discontent, you're not happy. You've been let down — either by others or by yourself. The word discontent is made up of dis, meaning "not," and content, "a state of peaceful happiness." So as an adjective, discontent means "not happy or peaceful," like the discontent Egyptian citizens who expressed their dissatisfaction with their country's leader by protesting and demanding he give up power. As a verb, discontent means "to make unhappy," like bad news that discontents you.
Vocabulary lists containing discontent
Power Prefix: dis-
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Figurative Language in King's "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Of Mice and Men
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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:
His departure has allowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tide over an immediate crisis, but keeping youth discontent in check may well remain a long-term challenge for his government.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
It’s been a summer of discontent for the momentum trade, which has mostly been hot artificial-intelligence-themed stocks that investors chased higher and could not get enough of, until they did.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
Just below the surface, however, the soccer world was seething with discontent.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
Her government’s handling of a devastating earthquake in June has added to the discontent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
Economic issues emerged as a major focus of discontent.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Always at the heart of these discontents was the battery—or batteries, because there has been a succession of them, an alchemist’s closet of energy-storing potions in weirdly shaped bottles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026
While these discontents were roiling, that's when he really met Meghan, and Meghan really reinforced his sense that he wasn't being, essentially, appreciated enough for his own gifts.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2022
A sly, mordantly funny, at times brutal satire about altruism and its discontents, the movie offers something of an emotional workout.
From New York Times ● Mar. 17, 2022
Like “Last Winter, We Parted,” “My Annihilation” is an examination of selfhood — or of selfhood’s discontents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2022
But men must work on, and Wang Lung worked as he had before, although the lengthening warm days and the sunshine and sudden rains filled everyone with longings and discontents.
From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck
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.
