displeasure
Americannoun
-
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:
But investors in Marvell and Lumentum appear united in their displeasure over the chip maker’s proposed acquisition of optical-components company Lumentum.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
Team principal Andrea Stella is a measured man who chooses his words carefully, but his displeasure was clear.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
When an ambassador is summoned, it typically means they are being called for a formal meeting, where the host country will express displeasure over their government's actions.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
He has no problem expressing his displeasure at being inconvenienced by his unwanted trainee or earthbound law enforcement officers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
The plan that Constance and Foremole had jointly worked out would require very little hand-to-hand combat, much to the badger’s displeasure.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
