: disquietude or distress of mind caused by humiliation, disappointment, or failure
chagrined
shə-ˈgrind 
British usually ˈsha-grind
; chagrining
shə-ˈgri-niŋ
British usually ˈsha-gri-niŋ
: to vex or unsettle by disappointing or humiliating
he was chagrined to learn that his help was not needed
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Chagrin comes from French, in which it means "grief," "sorrow," or essentially the same thing as English's chagrin, and in which it is also an adjective meaning "sad."
Examples of chagrin in a Sentence
Noun
As many a woman has learned to her chagrin, pathological liars are brilliant at deception.
—
Katha Pollitt, Nation, 16 June 2003
In World War I, to his chagrin, Eisenhower again found himself on the sidelines, performing training duties stateside while Pershing, MacArthur, and Patton earned their battle ribbons.
—U.S. News & World Report, 16 Mar. 1998
In 1628, to the chagrin of Governor William Bradford, the Pilgrims erected an 80-foot Maypole, danced around it, drank beer, and sang.
—E. C. Krupp, Sky & Telescope, May 1994
Imagine my chagrin when a whiz kid from Dayton made all A's in the first quarter while I made two B's and a C+.
—John Hope Franklin, Race and History, 1989
The fact that he'd been unable to attend the funeral was a source of chagrin for Ted.
She had gained five pounds over the winter, much to her chagrin.
He decided to get a tattoo, to the chagrin of his parents.
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Katha Pollitt, Nation, 16 June 2003
In World War I, to his chagrin, Eisenhower again found himself on the sidelines, performing training duties stateside while Pershing, MacArthur, and Patton earned their battle ribbons.
—U.S. News & World Report, 16 Mar. 1998
In 1628, to the chagrin of Governor William Bradford, the Pilgrims erected an 80-foot Maypole, danced around it, drank beer, and sang.
—E. C. Krupp, Sky & Telescope, May 1994
Imagine my chagrin when a whiz kid from Dayton made all A's in the first quarter while I made two B's and a C+.
—John Hope Franklin, Race and History, 1989
The fact that he'd been unable to attend the funeral was a source of chagrin for Ted.
She had gained five pounds over the winter, much to her chagrin.
He decided to get a tattoo, to the chagrin of his parents.
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Recent Examples on the WebPeter Debruge, Variety, 23 Aug. 2023
Lastly, McDonald’s is getting rid of self-serve soda, to the chagrin of some who like to control their ice-to-drink ratios.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 15 Sep. 2023
Speaking of hydrogen, Politico also reports that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s appointees are pushing the federal government to adopt less-than-green rules for hydrogen tax credits, to the chagrin of many climate advocates.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2023
In the meantime, agencies including the Securities and Exchange Commission upped enforcement actions, much to the chagrin of the crypto industry.
—Byleo Schwartz, Fortune Crypto, 7 Sep. 2023
But that explanation hasn’t stopped viewers from coming up with their own wild ideas about the Academy Award winner's whereabouts, much to the chagrin of co-host Joy Behar.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2023
Conservative media outlet The Daily Wire was back at Podcast Movement this year, much to the chagrin of many attendees.
—Amrita Khalid, The Verge, 28 Aug. 2023
Before defense attorneys could cross examine Franks, Jonker told the attorneys their cross examinations could only be as long as the testimony taken from direct examination carried out by the government, to the chagrin of Gibbons and Blanchard.
—Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 16 Aug. 2023
It has since been renovated, cleaned up, and reopened as an apartment complex, but the ghost stories persist as the hotel's haunted reputation has gone viral — much to the current residents' chagrin.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2023
Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 31 July 2023
To Brewers' fans chagrin, that includes Taylor Rogers, a midseason acquisition last year who did not work out but has rediscovered his form with the Giants, to the tune of a 3.13 ERA and 1.074 WHIP.
—Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 17 July 2023
The couple also replaced linoleum floors with a herringbone patterned alternative in black oak, which they were chagrined to find out has a tendency to turn pink when staining.
—Jennifer Kopf, Country Living, 5 July 2023
Republicans lost their House majority, in part because the chamber had voted dozens of times to dismantle core aspects of the ACA, to voters’ chagrin.
—Amy Goldstein, Anchorage Daily News, 28 June 2023
During the first two episodes of its fourth season, Parsifal is stuck at the dock in Sardinia, Italy, due to engine trouble, much to the guests’ chagrin, and Gary is stuck in a hotel room with Covid.
—Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2023
Companies are increasingly creating new C-suite roles with a focus on data, analytics or artificial intelligence—to the confusion, and sometimes chagrin, of chief information officers and others who previously had oversight of data.
—Isabelle Bousquette, wsj.com, 14 Apr. 2023
Bang!'s genesis is in an eponymous TV Show and the Comedy Death Ray stage show performed at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade, the show features improv games, interviews, and more, sometimes to the confusion or even chagrin of its guests.
—Josh Sargent, Men's Health, 14 Mar. 2023
She and others were chagrined to see the board all but gutted, at a moment when the transportation agency is grappling with COVID-19 — and hemorrhaging money.
—Rachel Swan, SFChronicle.com, 14 May 2020
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Noun
At least, that’s what giggling lead staret Nafanail (Indrek Sammul) seems to believe, much to the chagrin of his not-so-humble protege, Irinei (Kaarel Pogga), who tries to sabotage the newcomer’s progress.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 23 Aug. 2023
Lastly, McDonald’s is getting rid of self-serve soda, to the chagrin of some who like to control their ice-to-drink ratios.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 15 Sep. 2023
Speaking of hydrogen, Politico also reports that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s appointees are pushing the federal government to adopt less-than-green rules for hydrogen tax credits, to the chagrin of many climate advocates.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2023
In the meantime, agencies including the Securities and Exchange Commission upped enforcement actions, much to the chagrin of the crypto industry.
—Byleo Schwartz, Fortune Crypto, 7 Sep. 2023
But that explanation hasn’t stopped viewers from coming up with their own wild ideas about the Academy Award winner's whereabouts, much to the chagrin of co-host Joy Behar.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2023
Conservative media outlet The Daily Wire was back at Podcast Movement this year, much to the chagrin of many attendees.
—Amrita Khalid, The Verge, 28 Aug. 2023
Before defense attorneys could cross examine Franks, Jonker told the attorneys their cross examinations could only be as long as the testimony taken from direct examination carried out by the government, to the chagrin of Gibbons and Blanchard.
—Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 16 Aug. 2023
It has since been renovated, cleaned up, and reopened as an apartment complex, but the ghost stories persist as the hotel's haunted reputation has gone viral — much to the current residents' chagrin.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2023
Verb
Anyone who has cooked chicken or turkey has probably had the experience of cutting into the bird only to be chagrined or disappointed — or both — to find the meat looks bloody or pink (and not the good kind of perky Barbie pink).
—Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 31 July 2023
To Brewers' fans chagrin, that includes Taylor Rogers, a midseason acquisition last year who did not work out but has rediscovered his form with the Giants, to the tune of a 3.13 ERA and 1.074 WHIP.
—Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 17 July 2023
The couple also replaced linoleum floors with a herringbone patterned alternative in black oak, which they were chagrined to find out has a tendency to turn pink when staining.
—Jennifer Kopf, Country Living, 5 July 2023
Republicans lost their House majority, in part because the chamber had voted dozens of times to dismantle core aspects of the ACA, to voters’ chagrin.
—Amy Goldstein, Anchorage Daily News, 28 June 2023
During the first two episodes of its fourth season, Parsifal is stuck at the dock in Sardinia, Italy, due to engine trouble, much to the guests’ chagrin, and Gary is stuck in a hotel room with Covid.
—Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2023
Companies are increasingly creating new C-suite roles with a focus on data, analytics or artificial intelligence—to the confusion, and sometimes chagrin, of chief information officers and others who previously had oversight of data.
—Isabelle Bousquette, wsj.com, 14 Apr. 2023
Bang!'s genesis is in an eponymous TV Show and the Comedy Death Ray stage show performed at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade, the show features improv games, interviews, and more, sometimes to the confusion or even chagrin of its guests.
—Josh Sargent, Men's Health, 14 Mar. 2023
She and others were chagrined to see the board all but gutted, at a moment when the transportation agency is grappling with COVID-19 — and hemorrhaging money.
—Rachel Swan, SFChronicle.com, 14 May 2020
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chagrin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
French, from chagrin sad
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Cite this Entry
“Chagrin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chagrin. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on chagrin
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for chagrin
Nglish: Translation of chagrin for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of chagrin for Arabic Speakers
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