discontent
Americanadjective
noun
-
Also discontentment. lack of contentment; dissatisfaction.
- Synonyms:
- inquietude, uneasiness, displeasure, restlessness
-
a restless desire or craving for something one does not have.
-
a malcontent.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
Also called: discontentment. lack of contentment, as with one's condition or lot in life
-
a discontented person
adjective
verb
Synonym Usage
See dissatisfaction.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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discontentednessnoun
-
prediscontentnoun
-
prediscontentmentnoun
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discontentedadjective
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discontentedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of discontent
Explanation
When you experience discontent, you're not happy. You've been let down — either by others or by yourself. The word discontent is made up of dis, meaning "not," and content, "a state of peaceful happiness." So as an adjective, discontent means "not happy or peaceful," like the discontent Egyptian citizens who expressed their dissatisfaction with their country's leader by protesting and demanding he give up power. As a verb, discontent means "to make unhappy," like bad news that discontents you.
Vocabulary lists containing discontent
Power Prefix: dis-
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Figurative Language in King's "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Of Mice and Men
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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.
Despite rapid economic growth, millions of people in the world's most populous nation struggle to find stable and well-paying jobs, fuelling discontent.
From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026
The debate has been turbocharged by discontent with the reliablility of the existing Caledonian MacBrayne ferry network which serves the Hebrides and the Clyde.
From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026
People don’t like it when their livelihoods are disrupted, and if unemployment goes too high, I don’t want to imagine how much discontent that could cause.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 28, 2026
This discontent isn’t found solely among rural voters.
From Salon • Jun. 16, 2026
And the big trouble, obviously, was that we were only one among the many voices of black discontent on every busy Harlem comer.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
