dissatisfaction
Americannoun
-
dissatisfactions
plural
-
the state or attitude of not being satisfied; discontent; displeasure.
- Synonyms:
- uneasiness, disapproval, disappointment
-
a particular cause or feeling of displeasure or disappointment.
many dissatisfactions with the plan.
noun
Synonym Usage
Dissatisfaction, discontent, displeasure imply a sense of dislike for, or unhappiness in, one's surroundings. Dissatisfaction results from contemplating what falls short of one's wishes or expectations: dissatisfaction with the results of an afternoon's work. Discontent is a sense of lack and a general feeling of uneasy dislike for the conditions of one's life: feeling a continual vague discontent. Displeasure suggests a certain amount of anger as well as dissatisfaction: displeasure at being kept waiting.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of dissatisfaction
First recorded in 1630–40; dis- 1 + satisfaction
Explanation
When you're unhappy, disappointed, or annoyed about something, you feel a sense of dissatisfaction. Your dissatisfaction with your boring French class might inspire you to switch to beginning Mandarin. An entire country's dissatisfaction with their government can lead to a new administration being voted in, or in the case of extreme dissatisfaction, a revolution. Your dissatisfaction with the pasta dish you ordered might simply make you ask for a hamburger instead. Dissatisfaction adds the dis-, or "lack of," prefix to satisfaction, which originally referred to "an act by a priest to atone for sin," but came to mean "contentment" by the 14th century.
Vocabulary lists containing dissatisfaction
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:
There also has been widespread dissatisfaction over how some insurers have handled January 2025 fire claims.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Iran continues to face high very inflation rates, unemployment, economic hardship and public dissatisfaction.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
There is little margin for error or customer dissatisfaction, as disgruntled viewers will tune out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
The dissatisfaction with World Cup ticket pricing reflects a general discomfort with income distribution in the modern world.
From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2026
Filled with dissatisfaction, I stepped from the church.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
But “The Book of Ayn” is rife with dissatisfactions — to its credit — and with self-aware jokes and serious questions about self-awareness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2023
Are employees not telling their managers the truth about their dissatisfactions?
From New York Times ● Jan. 30, 2023
Broad City has never been apolitical, but Season 5 has neatly plaited its characters’ newfound dissatisfactions with their 20s lifestyle with subtle social critique.
From Slate ● Mar. 28, 2019
The Harvard economics professor Ken Rogoff points out that many of the dissatisfactions it seeks to address would be more effectively achieved by a rigorous assault on monopolies than a take-down of the free market.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 19, 2018
We have done all in our power to prevent discontent, but no doubt there will be some, whose dissatisfactions will produce complaints, and perhaps misrepresentations.
From The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. I by Sparks, Jared
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.
