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.
It would also make the justices safer in the long run from a public increasingly dissatisfied with their arbitrary secrecy.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026
"They told me they are really dissatisfied with all the existing political parties, because nobody listens to them," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
She’s not at all dissatisfied with the accommodations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
Although the inquiry was public, some families said they were dissatisfied with it as it did not review all patient files.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
She’s known to be exceedingly pushy, egotistical, cunning, calculating and perpetually dissatisfied.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
