disappoint
Americanverb (used with object)
-
disappoints,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disappointed,
past participle, past
-
disappointing
present participle
-
to fail to fulfill the expectations or wishes of.
His gross ingratitude disappointed us.
- Synonyms:
- disenchant, dishearten, disillusion, sadden
-
to defeat the fulfillment of (hopes, plans, etc.); thwart; frustrate.
to be disappointed in love.
verb (used without object)
-
disappoints,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disappointed,
past participle, past
-
disappointing
present participle
verb
-
to fail to meet the expectations, hopes, desires, or standards of; let down
-
to prevent the fulfilment of (a plan, intention, etc); frustrate; thwart
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disappointsimple
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disappointssimple
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have disappointedperfect
-
has disappointedperfect
-
am disappointingprogressive
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are disappointingprogressive
-
is disappointingprogressive
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have been disappointingperfect progressive
-
has been disappointingperfect progressive
Past
-
disappointedsimple
-
had disappointedperfect
-
was disappointingprogressive
-
were disappointingprogressive
-
had been disappointingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disappoint
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Middle French word desappointer. See dis- 1, appoint
Explanation
When you fail to meet people's expectations, you disappoint them. You can also disappoint yourself or find that things let you down, like a rainy trip to the beach that disappoints you. The word disappoint comes from the Middle French word desappointer, which meant "dispossess of appointed office," in the 14th century. Today, disappoint can apply to anyone or anything that does not achieve the expected results — and ways to express that we are disappointed go beyond firing people or kicking them out of office. For example, if you buy a product that disappoints, you won't buy it again.
Vocabulary lists containing disappoint
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 4
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"The Fun They Had"
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Shiloh
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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:
Roblox stock is handed two Sell ratings after second-quarter earnings disappoint and guidance shows a worrying trend.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
“I’m typing this as I’m quite literally bawling my eyes out in my dressing room & it hurts me so much to disappoint you all.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
To disappoint investors just a few weeks after its $29 billion listing of depositary receipts on Nasdaq demonstrated poor “communication and messaging,” he wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
I'm sorry to disappoint any conspiracy theorists, but I can promise you there aren't any clandestine meetings between Fifa's executive committee and the referees.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
His face his mistress left free to reflect his feelings, and he did not disappoint.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
If AI breakthroughs reduce computing needs, or if AI adoption disappoints the high hopes of investors, it’s terrible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026
AES stock falls as $15-a-share offer disappoints shareholders.
From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026
"I wouldn't want to be a baker who disappoints her, but I can see her being very encouraging at the same time."
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2026
Even if it disappoints some people, it’s the more important message to put out into the world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 25, 2025
I don’t know why, but his reaction disappoints me.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
Bruno, who has lived in Los Angeles for 30 years, was disappointed when he couldn’t see the man inside the billboard from the street below.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
Gibby, who now lives in Bristol, said he had been left "disappointed" by the outcome four years after Operation Hallam was launched in October 2022.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
The hard-drive maker reported better-than-expected earnings for its fiscal fourth quarter, but guidance disappointed.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
Shares closed at $108.27 a share on Wednesday after investors were disappointed by the company’s first-ever public earnings call.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
I am disappointed and go back to my sewing without saying another word on the subject.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
A day after naming Guido Oelkers as its new CEO, BioNTech reported disappointing results and significantly lowered revenue guidance for this year, the analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
It’s a world from which adults are almost entirely missing, and when they are not, they are disappointing, or trouble.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Sandisk stock was falling late Wednesday after a disappointing outlook from the memory maker seemed to overshadow strong fourth-quarter results.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
The sales outlook was a disappointing aspect of SolarEdge’s otherwise good earnings, RBC Capital Markets’ Chris Dendrinos said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
“It’s disappointing, but don’t worry. We’ll raise the money.”
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
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.
