dissatisfaction
Americannoun
-
dissatisfactions
plural
-
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:
Six in 10 Britons said they were “very” or “quite” dissatisfied, the highest level of dissatisfaction with the NHS since the survey began in 1983.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
Loneliness, by contrast, describes a person's subjective dissatisfaction with the quality of their relationships, regardless of how many social interactions they actually have.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026
Social isolation is an objective measure of the quantity of social connection in behavior, while loneliness is a subjective measure of a person’s emotional dissatisfaction with the quality of their relationships.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
The sentiments hint at dissatisfaction in Canada over bilateral tensions with the US.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
On Friday, July 18, ten thousand packinghouse workers expressed their dissatisfaction by walking off the job.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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
Are employees not telling their managers the truth about their dissatisfactions?
From New York Times ● Jan. 30, 2023
Broad City has never been apolitical, but Season 5 has neatly plaited its characters’ newfound dissatisfactions with their 20s lifestyle with subtle social critique.
From Slate ● Mar. 28, 2019
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
That act must be the best act, accordingly, which makes for the best whole, in the sense of awakening the least sum of dissatisfactions.
From The Will to Believe : and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy by William James
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