chagrin

1 of 2

noun

cha·grin shə-ˈgrin

British usually ˈsha-grin

Synonyms of chagrin next

: disquietude or distress of mind caused by humiliation, disappointment, or failure

chagrin

2 of 2

verb

chagrined shə-ˈgrind

British usually ˈsha-grind

; chagrining shə-ˈgri-niŋ

British usually ˈsha-gri-niŋ

transitive verb

: to vex or unsettle by disappointing or humiliating

he was chagrined to learn that his help was not needed

Example Sentences

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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Certainly there is a lot of chagrin to go around in the movie. —

Kyle Smith, WSJ, 16 Mar. 2023 In his statement, Mr. Hancock expressed chagrin about the embarrassment the leaks were causing his former colleagues. —

Mark Landler, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2023 The moderates who ended up on the high court, to the occasional chagrin of conservatives who dream of radical change being handed down by a more doctrinaire majority, helped mask a deeper rightward shift on the court from liberals’ point of view. —

Matt Ford, The New Republic, 10 May 2023 Misty, who was firmly in Lottie’s camp earlier in the episode, can’t resist the promise of food and goes to help excavate the moose, to Mari’s chagrin. —

Radhika Menon, ELLE, 15 Apr. 2023 And the verbal grenade surprisingly tossed Wednesday by Tim Hardaway Sr., much to his son’s chagrin and disagreement. —

Brad Townsend, Dallas News, 6 Apr. 2023 Turkey last week approved Finland’s application to join NATO — much to Russia’s chagrin — but has continued to withhold support for Sweden to enter the military alliance. —

Sammy Westfall, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2023 But much to their chagrin, an increasingly common refrain has popped up since the pandemic began (one Kim Kardashian was on early about): No one really wants to work. —

Trey Williams, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2023 To the potential chagrin of those whose posts cheered it, my story thankfully did not end with suicide. —

Jake Novak, CNN, 8 Mar. 2023

Verb

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. —

Erin Cavoto, Country Living, 10 May 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 Despite a scolding from the governor chagrined by news photos that seemed to show unsafe clusters of beachgoers the weekend before, many of who had driven in from L.A., Newport Beach leaders voted 5-2 to keep the beach open. —

Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2020 This chagrins and disgusts some Ukrainians, who want sorely to get rid of that culture, or subculture. —

Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 19 Dec. 2019 Just over three months later, the Bruins again were chagrined to lose No. —

Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 15 June 2019 See More

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.