discontent

American  

[dis-kuhn-tent] / ˌdɪs kənˈtɛnt /

adjective

1. not content; dissatisfied; discontented.

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noun

• discontents
  plural

1. Also discontentment. lack of contentment; dissatisfaction.

   Synonyms:

   inquietude, uneasiness, displeasure, restlessness

2. a restless desire or craving for something one does not have.

3. a malcontent.

verb (used with object)

1. to make discontented; dissatisfy; displease.

discontent British  

/ ˌdɪskənˈtɛnt /

noun

1. Also called: discontentment.  lack of contentment, as with one's condition or lot in life

2. a discontented person

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adjective

1. dissatisfied

verb

1. (tr) to make dissatisfied

Synonym Usage

See dissatisfaction.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• discontentedness
  noun
• prediscontent
  noun
• prediscontentment
  noun
• discontented
  adjective
• discontentedly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• discontents
  plural

Etymology

Origin of discontent

First recorded in 1485–95; dis- ¹ + content ²

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

discontent discontents

After a summer of Gen Z discontent, political workers and members of the public chastised women for violating social norms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

Fifteen months later, her death, and what many view as a suspicious silence surrounding it, has become a lightning rod for discontent among Vietnam's youth.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

Youth movements arise regularly in politics, especially in times of partisan discontent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing growing discontent from some residents, a fraying relationship with the City Council and policy setbacks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

The deep rumbling of discontent in our cities is indicative of the fact that the plant of freedom has grown only a bud and not yet a flower....

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

Always at the heart of these discontents was the battery—or batteries, because there has been a succession of them, an alchemist’s closet of energy-storing potions in weirdly shaped bottles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026

We’ve heard that argument over and over again from politicians and other critics of summer vacation and all its parental and educational discontents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2023

While these discontents were roiling, that's when he really met Meghan, and Meghan really reinforced his sense that he wasn't being, essentially, appreciated enough for his own gifts.

From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2022

“Parallel Mothers” would make a fine double feature with another recent film about motherhood and its discontents: “The Lost Daughter.”

From Washington Post ● Jan. 4, 2022

But men must work on, and Wang Lung worked as he had before, although the lengthening warm days and the sunshine and sudden rains filled everyone with longings and discontents.

From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck

Related Words

• displeasure
• regret
• restlessness
• uneasiness
• unhappiness