dissatisfied
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dissatisfied
First recorded in 1665–75; dissatisfy + -ed 2
Explanation
If you're dissatisfied, you're not happy — you're annoyed and disgruntled. You probably don't enjoy eating out with your parents if they're always dissatisfied with the food they order. You might be dissatisfied with the final episode of your favorite TV show, or dissatisfied with your grades n German last semester. In either case, you're not pleased. A slightly different way to be dissatisfied is to be unconvinced: "She was dissatisfied with the answer he gave when she asked when he planned to pay back the money he owed her." Dissatisfied combines dis-, "not," and satisfied, from a Latin root, satisfacere, "do enough."
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.
Still, that won’t keep low job-growth numbers from making many Americans feel dissatisfied.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Bloomberg Law, which first reported the demotions, said Washington Field Office leadership was dissatisfied with the pace of the investigation and that the Miller family shared those frustrations.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
Mike Keil, the chief executive of the CCW, said the figures "reflect just how dissatisfied many people still are with the state of the water sector".
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
But there was no provision in the contract to replace him if either side was dissatisfied — a flaw the jury blamed on Nossaman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Haymitch is our only hope, but nothing is forthcoming, either from lack of money -everything will cost an exorbitant amount -or because he's dissatisfied with our performance.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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.
