disappointment
noun
the act or fact of disappointing.
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Disappointment
DisappointmentnounCape Disappointment, a cape in southwestern Washington State, projecting into the Pacific Ocean on the north of the mouth of the Columbia River.
disappointment
1 American
[dis-uh-point-muhnt]
/ ˌdɪs əˈpɔɪnt mənt /
noun
disappointments
plural
-
the act or fact of disappointing.
All of his efforts only led to the disappointment of his supporters.
- Synonyms:
- frustration, defeat, failure
-
the state or feeling of being disappointed.
Her disappointment was very great when she didn't get the job.
-
a person or thing that disappoints.
The play was a disappointment.
Disappointment
2
American
[dis-uh-point-muhnt]
/ ˌdɪs əˈpɔɪnt mənt /
noun
disappointment
British
/ ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntmənt /
noun
-
the act of disappointing or the state of being disappointed
-
a person, thing, or state of affairs that disappoints
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of disappointment
First recorded in 1605–15; disappoint + -ment
Explanation
A disappointment is what happens when things don't go your way. That sad, frustrated feeling of loss that follows? It's also called disappointment. The noun disappointment comes from the Middle French word disappointer, meaning “undo the appointment,” or “remove from office.” It is true that a friend canceling your plans or losing your job is a disappointment, but today disappointment can describe anything that crushes your hopes, ruins your day, or otherwise lets you down.
Vocabulary lists containing disappointment
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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-ment
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"Pass It On," "If There Be Pain," and "Sonnet 30"
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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:
Even so, they think that investors have low expectations for ANZ’s revenue and market-share growth, and see less potential for disappointment than at other large lenders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Asian equities were seeing a rotation away from tech, Tickmill Group said, adding that while the AI story hadn’t disappeared, investor tolerance for disappointment had collapsed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Evans admitted she had been almost angry when she went out to compete after the disappointment of earlier performances in Glasgow.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The 12th-placed Premier League finish in 2022-23 - the first season since the takeover by the BlueCo consortium - was clearly a big disappointment.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
How she must have laughed to herself at Strong Jonn's disgust and Marlie's disappointment.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
"Disappointment in returns could trigger a sudden pullback in financing and turn the capex boom into a protracted investment bust, with potential knock-on effects on financial conditions," it said in its annual report.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
Disappointment in that they had finished the season as one of the best teams in the league.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2025
Disappointment is a familiar feeling when it comes to Find a Grave.
From Slate ● Oct. 24, 2024
Disappointment for the Brighton forward although the penalty decision did look a bit harsh, with Dara O'Shea striking the ball against Arthur Vermeeren's arm from close range.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2024
Disappointment, shock, then anger run through the group.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
One of my own disappointments in this tournament is that Italy didn’t qualify either.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
George Russell bounced back from the disappointments of the past few races to take pole position for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Lee, then, is left wondering if this is the true nature of mortality: a long pattern of disappointments, up to and including the moment you gasp your final breath.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
Both parts of Oracle’s software business were disappointments.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
It was hard to meet someone for the first time and immediately start talking about my secrets, my dreams, my disappointments.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
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.
