displeasure
Americannoun
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dissatisfaction, disapproval, or annoyance.
- Synonyms:
- vexation, indignation, dislike, distaste
- Antonyms:
- pleasure
-
discomfort, uneasiness, or pain.
-
Archaic. a cause of offense, annoyance, or injury.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
the condition of being displeased
-
archaic
-
pain
-
an act or cause of offence
-
verb
Synonym Usage
See dissatisfaction.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of displeasure
1400–50; dis- 1 + pleasure; replacing late Middle English desplaisir < Middle French (noun use of infinitive); see displease
Explanation
Displeasure is a feeling of unhappiness or annoyance. The displeasure on your mom's face will clearly show you how she feels about you letting your pet guinea pigs sleep in her bed. Use the word displeasure when you are irritated by something or sternly disapprove of it. If your uncle hates surprises, an enormous surprise fortieth birthday party might result in displeasure rather than the happy smile you imagined. One way for citizens to express their displeasure with elected officials is to vote against them — another might be staging a protest.
Vocabulary lists containing displeasure
The Sound and the Fury: Synonyms for "Anger"
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Anger (noun)
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Dislike
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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.
See Examples For:
In reality, Leavitt is without a doubt the worst White House press secretary that I’ve ever had the displeasure of encountering since the day I first met Larry Speakes during the Reagan administration.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
She paced, she swayed, she laughed with displeasure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
Local media have reported that journalists at Nine have raised concerns about Stefanovic's project on the firm's editorial brand, and that advertisers have also expressed displeasure.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
He also announced possible tariff hikes on Brazilian products, much to the displeasure of the Lula administration.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
A crow, startled by my small commotion, alighted from a branch to the right, cawing his displeasure, a staccato of anxiety stitching the night a darker blue.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
They call him the English Bayard, and the Frenchman need not be displeasured by the comparison.
From Views and Reviews Essays in appreciation by William Ernest Henley
For when the way of pleasuring and displeasuring lieth by the favourite, it is impossible any other should be over-great.
From A Century of English Essays An Anthology Ranging from Caxton to R. L. Stevenson & the Writers of Our Own Time by Ernest Rhys
For when the way of pleasuring, and displeasuring, lieth by the favorite, it is impossible any other should be overgreat.
From The Essays of Francis Bacon by Francis Bacon
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.
