Synonyms of letdown

letdown 1 of 2

noun

ˈlet-ˌdau̇n 

1

as in disappointment

the emotion felt when one's expectations are not met

the museum exhibit was just so-so, and we returned home with a vague sense of letdown

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disappointment
• frustration
• dismay
• dissatisfaction
• sadness
• sorrow
• displeasure
• discontent
• disillusionment
• distress
• discontentment
• melancholy
• disenchantment
• unhappiness
• dejection
• oppression
• disgruntlement
• discontentedness
• blues
• chagrin
• gloom
• dumps
• gloominess
• dreariness
• crestfallenness
• discomfiture
• joylessness
• depression
• doldrums
• dejectedness
• disconsolateness
• downheartedness
• dolor
• despondency
• desolateness
• desolation
• mopes
• dolefulness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• satisfaction
• gratification
• content
• contentment
• fulfillment
• joy
• contentedness
• bliss
• happiness
• gladness
• felicity

2

as in bummer

something that disappoints

the eagerly anticipated new movie starring our favorite actor turned out to be a big letdown

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disappointment
• bummer
• loser
• fiasco
• anticlimax
• bringdown
• failure
• fizzle
• lemon

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• success
• relief
• winner

let down

2 of 2

verb

as in to disappoint

to fall short in satisfying the expectation or hope of

with my poor performance I really felt that I had let my teammates down

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disappoint
• fail
• cheat
• bum (out)
• upset
• dissatisfy
• distress
• displease
• disillusion
• deceive
• discontent
• chagrin
• delude
• mock
• disgruntle
• disenchant

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• satisfy
• content
• gratify
• fulfill
• gladden

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of letdown

Noun

Success after so much failure—gut-wrenching letdowns after episodes of Odyssean temptation to fleeting belief, too many to count—is almost an ordeal. — Austin Elias-De Jesus, New Yorker, 3 June 2026

Just like De Leon, every worker will face a rejection or letdown at some point in their professional lives—but some are turning lemons into lemonade. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 27 May 2026

Verb

Fans took out their phones, to have the chance of recording Messi break the World Cup scoring record, but were let down when the forward missed wide. — Cal Phillips june 22, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 June 2026

It’s been nearly two months since Morgan Neville’s amusing and thoroughly superficial Lorne, in which the Oscar-winning documentarian tried and failed to get the Saturday Night Live creator to let down his guard. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 2026