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Showing results for crestfallen. Search instead for crestfallenness.
Synonyms

crestfallen

American  
[krest-faw-luhn] / ˈkrɛstˌfɔ lən /

adjective

  1. dejected; dispirited; discouraged.

  2. having a drooping crest or head.

crestfallen British  
/ ˈkrɛstˌfɔːlən /

adjective

  1. dejected, depressed, or disheartened

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • crestfallenly adverb
  • crestfallenness noun

Etymology

Origin of crestfallen

First recorded in 1580–90; crest + fallen

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.

Fatemah, who was standing in line for bread at a neighborhood bakery, seemed crestfallen as she explained how this Nowruz, which means “new day” in Persian, was even worse than others.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

He looked so crestfallen that I almost felt sorry for him.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

"Guys, I just got poked knuckle deep in the eyeball. Why are you booing? I can't see," said a crestfallen Aspinall.

From BBC • Oct. 25, 2025

“She was crestfallen, but she recovered quickly,” Nuñez narrates dramatically as she drives away.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2025

Parvati set off for Divination five minutes later looking slightly crestfallen.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

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.