dissatisfy
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Etymology
Origin of dissatisfy
Explanation
When you dissatisfy someone, you don't meet their expectations. If you promise your dad a chocolate cake for his birthday, giving him a bran muffin instead might dissatisfy him. To satisfy someone is to fulfill what they need or hope for — and when you dissatisfy them, you fail to do that. Your final research paper might dissatisfy your history professor, and an expensive meal will dissatisfy you if you believe you could cook something even tastier at home. Dissatisfy combines dis-, "do the opposite of," with satisfy, from its Latin root satisfacere, "discharge fully" or "do enough."
Vocabulary lists containing dissatisfy
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.
Success is, eventually, actually reading your unread books, or at least holding on to them long enough that they have the chance to satisfy, dissatisfy or dement you.
From The Guardian • Jan. 7, 2019
The more time it takes to do something, the higher your labor costs, and the more potential there is to dissatisfy the customer.
From Inc • Oct. 22, 2012
This workplace is an instance of individuals caught in the grip of unproductive systems, that systematically dispirit the staff, dissatisfy the clients and make the firm less productive than it could be.
From Forbes • Jun. 23, 2011
But any compromise will be unusually difficult, because the issue seems an all-or-nothing question; simply reducing the funds would dissatisfy everyone.
From Time Magazine Archive
Lord John’s speech was admirable, and so skilful, that it satisfied his friends, his foes, and did not dissatisfy the Radicals.
From The Greville Memoirs (Second Part) A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1852 (Volume 1 of 3) by Greville, Charles
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.
