disgruntled

adjective

dis·​grun·​tled dis-ˈgrən-tᵊld 

: unhappy and annoyed

a disgruntled employee

She led her sodden and disgruntled team back into the changing rooms, insisting that the practice had not been a waste of time, though without any real conviction in her voice.

—J. K. Rowling

… a $300,000 refund pool for disgruntled former customers …

—Kevin McGurk

The crowd was up as well, and just as disgruntled as it had been the night before.

—Christopher Cooper & Robert Block

Synonyms of disgruntled

• dissatisfied
• frustrated

Examples of disgruntled in a Sentence

a disgruntled postal worker was responsible for the vandalism

Recent Examples on the Web

Those cuts were met with fierce opposition during a marathon board meeting last week that included a six-hour public comment session from over 130 disgruntled speakers. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 May 2026

Robert Rundo co-founded Active Club in 2020 as a place for disgruntled, young white men to work out together, while sharing their ideology. —Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 3 May 2026

One major way the Heat is expected to try to improve its roster this offseason is by again pursuing a trade for disgruntled Milwaukee Bucks two-time NBA MVP and nine-time All-NBA forward Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2026

His interest in Tess appears to be setting up a future alliance of disgruntled outcasts. —Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of disgruntle

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above