dismayed
Americanadjective
-
thoroughly disheartened, as by sudden danger or trouble.
When he was sick and in prison, and the non-cooperation movement ebbed, Gandhi was not dismayed or discouraged.
-
surprised and disillusioned or disappointed.
Many were dismayed at the way the ad trivialized the Tibetan people's struggle for freedom and survival.
-
alarmed or perturbed.
As a teacher in a K-8 school, I am extremely dismayed at the talk of more unstable funding for education.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dismayed
Explanation
When you're dismayed, you're aghast, or shocked by disappointment. Your dismayed teacher's face showed that she expected the test grades to be much higher. Dismayed describes feeling appalled or distressed. The word implies a sense of being let down, the way you'd feel if your favorite baseball team lost the World Series, or if your birthday present wasn't the ticket to France you'd hoped for, but was just a pink sweater. You can also feel dismayed when expecting more from someone, like being dismayed to see your environmental science teacher throwing recyclables in the trash.
Vocabulary lists containing dismayed
In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Nothing But the Truth
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
LA28 previously advertised tickets as being affordable for locals, but many shoppers last month were dismayed to find prices in the thousands.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
Warsh left the Fed in 2011, dismayed by the growth of its balance sheet in the aftermath of the financial crisis.
From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026
The merger effort had dismayed investors, who sent Netflix shares tumbling as much as 30%.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026
Sanchez said she was dismayed that all of their efforts resulted in the proposed settlement.
From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026
Dalgard was extremely dismayed and couldn’t rule out the possibility that the man was breaking with Ebola.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
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.
