disgruntled
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of disgruntled
Explanation
Disgruntled sounds like what it is — dissatisfied, grunting and grumbling. You could become a disgruntled employee if your boss swipes all your best ideas without giving you credit (or a raise). Disgruntled actually comes from gruntle, an old verb meaning, not so surprisingly, "to grunt." When you're disgruntled, you might grunt with dissatisfaction and anger. If you are a disgruntled customer, why not ask to speak to a manager? Unless you'd rather just stand there grunting.
Vocabulary lists containing disgruntled
The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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Anti-Antonyms: Words Without Opposites
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 8
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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.
Some disgruntled loved ones may feel abandoned or envy your decision.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
She said the "really concerning" cases were times when "the customer is disgruntled about something that's happened... they confront the shop worker, film and upload it in order to embarrass the retailer".
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
Since disgruntled voters are more likely to turn out, that means the out party typically gains seats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
Ekaterina Mizulina, the head of Russia's state-sponsored internet censorship watchdog, said in December she had received "63,000 emails" from disgruntled schoolchildren and parents commenting on the ban.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
Sana pulls off her cloak, and her short, dark hair tufts out like a disgruntled bird's.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
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.
