- present participle of disappoint.
disappointing
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disappointing
First recorded in 1520–30; disappoint + -ing 2
Explanation
Something that's disappointing isn't what you'd hoped for. A disappointing baseball season usually means that your favorite team lost a lot of games. When the candidate you voted for loses, it's a disappointing election result, and a disappointing grade in your math class is lower than what you hoped or expected it would be. Disappointing comes from the verb disappoint, which means "frustrate expectations," but had an earlier definition of "remove from appointed office." The modern sense of disappoint and disappointing comes from "fail to keep an appointment."
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 prompted a swift condemnation from South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who called it "greatly disappointing" and said the transfer was a "highly sensitive issue" impacting national security.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
In Europe, higher oil and natural gas prices—combined with fiscal concerns around France and disappointing German export data—dragged on stocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Less than two disappointing seasons into Underwood’s career, Michigan is grappling with buyer’s remorse—and the Wolverines aren’t alone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
South Korea's Asian Games football captain called it "disappointing" after the country's flag appeared to get stuck during the victory ceremony following their win over hosts Japan.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
Usually there aren’t any, and that’s kind of disappointing.
From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones
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.
