dismayed

American  

[dis-meyd] / dɪsˈmeɪd /

adjective

1. 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.

2. surprised and disillusioned or disappointed.

   Many were dismayed at the way the ad trivialized the Tibetan people's struggle for freedom and survival.

3. alarmed or perturbed.

   As a teacher in a K-8 school, I am extremely dismayed at the talk of more unstable funding for education.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of dismay.

Other Word Forms

• dismayedness noun
• undismayed adjective

Etymology

Origin of dismayed

dismay ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

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.

Example Sentences

While going rather easy on King George, Ms. Worsley is dismayed by the strategy of her antecedents, whose tactics often seemed calculated to fan the sputtering flames of rebellion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, said he was "dismayed" by reports of the air strikes and civilian casualties.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

Seeing Samary revealed as the coup spokesman, Tévoédjrè was dismayed to realize he had sent a mutineer to stop a mutiny.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

Strong, who is an anthropologist, said she was dismayed by the "massive increase" in reports and there are a "combination of factors" contributing to why that may be.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

Kira was dismayed at the thought but she said nothing to her friend.

From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry

Related Words

• afraid
• agitated
• anguished
• anxious
• apprehensive
• edgy
• fearful
• impatient
• insecure
• irritable
• jittery
• nervous
• precarious
• restless
• shaky
• strained
• suspicious
• tense
• troubled
• uncomfortable