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.
Still, that won’t keep low job-growth numbers from making many Americans feel dissatisfied.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Bloomberg Law, which first reported the demotions, said Washington Field Office leadership was dissatisfied with the pace of the investigation and that the Miller family shared those frustrations.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
Confused and dissatisfied with local treatment plans, Lynette sought a second opinion from The Royal Marsden Hospital in London which recommended genetic testing and platinum chemotherapy – something not offered on the NHS at home.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
In an effort to persuade voters who are dissatisfied with the status quo, Hilton bought a full-page ad in the Wednesday editions of the Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
He next started to invent separate signs for each word, and again became dissatisfied when he had coined thousands of signs and still needed more.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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