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
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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Nothing But the Truth
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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.
Independent councillor Barry Monteith said people in the area were "dismayed".
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
Beijing was initially dismayed by the coup that triggered chaos on its doorstep, analysts said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Ogilvie’s Connecticut Congregationalist peers would have been dismayed to see the fruit of Protestant evangelism turn against American independence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
They were also dismayed and confused by the news that green card applicants would possibly have to leave the country.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
Arm was dismayed by how quickly the Mellower organized his life around the baby.
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
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.
