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.
Even if you don’t have frequent-flier status, negotiating some sort of reimbursement is still worth it, Maharishi said, as it’s in an airline’s best interest to appease disgruntled customers.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026
Now they’re stuck having to find a solution for Crosby, a disgruntled player who had already packed his bags and may now be viewed as damaged goods.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026
Before Babikian got the #EndFanatics movement going on X, the account @FanaticsSucks was the clearinghouse for disgruntled Fanatics customers.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026
A Cabinet Office source said: "The fact that selective excerpts are now being resurfaced, almost a decade on, to substantiate vexatious anonymous briefings from disgruntled individuals is frankly unconscionable."
From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026
A disgruntled Minute Man with poor aim flung a maraschino cherry in the general direction of Otto’s head.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
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.
