: lack of satisfaction with one's possessions, status, or situation : lack of contentment:
a
: a sense of grievance : dissatisfaction
… the winter of our discontent …—
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
b
: restless aspiration (see aspiration sense 1a) for improvement
discontented; discontenting; discontents
: to make dissatisfied or discontented
were discontented by the decision
: one who is dissatisfied or discontented : malcontent
Examples of discontent in a Sentence
Adjective
Polls show that voters are growing increasingly discontent.
a novel about a woman who is desperately discontent with the stifling limitations of her small-town life
Noun (1)
the rebels worked to stir up discontent among the citizens
Verb
the ongoing lack of decent food discontented and demoralized the soldiers in the rebel army
Recent Examples on the Web
NPR, 21 Nov. 2025
Brown, who will miss Week 8 with a hamstring injury, still seems somewhat discontent over his usage.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
Joyce Zhou, USA Today, 28 Nov. 2025
Trustees agreed to increase pay for substitutes who cross the picket line to $550 a day, a decision that has further fueled discontent among educators.
—Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 27 Nov. 2025
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2025
Humans are the only animals known to be discontented with natural selection.
—Tad Friend, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discontent
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Adjective
Aside from the geopolitical wrangling over the event, there has been discontent surrounding the summit from many in South Africa.
—NPR, 21 Nov. 2025
Brown, who will miss Week 8 with a hamstring injury, still seems somewhat discontent over his usage.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
Noun
Its sky-high property prices have long been a trigger for discontent and analysts say the tragedy could stoke resentment towards authorities despite efforts to tighten political and national security control.
—Joyce Zhou, USA Today, 28 Nov. 2025
Trustees agreed to increase pay for substitutes who cross the picket line to $550 a day, a decision that has further fueled discontent among educators.
—Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 27 Nov. 2025
Verb
In other posts, Minaj criticized Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez, nodding to discontent between her and the label.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2025
Humans are the only animals known to be discontented with natural selection.
—Tad Friend, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discontent
Cite this Entry
“Discontent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discontent. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
discontent
1 of 3 adjective
dis·con·tent
ˌdis-kən-ˈtent 
discontent
2 of 3 verb
: to make discontented
discontentment
noun
-mənt
discontent
3 of 3 noun
: the condition of being dissatisfied
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