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
- dismayedness noun
- undismayed adjective
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
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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.
Sanchez said she was dismayed that all of their efforts resulted in the proposed settlement.
From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026
But she was most nervous about facing returning champion Bob Mortimer, who entered season two to a chorus of dismayed gasps.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 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
But he was dismayed by the abrupt layoffs in April that left FDA staff demoralized, he said, with some crying in the hallways.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 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.
