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

Kim flew out in his third and final at-bat, swinging at the first pitch and lofting a harmless fly ball to left field, a result invoking more disgruntled noises from the home faithful. —Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 19 June 2026

When anti-elite sentiment is bipartisan, the real swing voter becomes the disgruntled partisan. —Will Johnson, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026

After an intense work encounter that leaves a disgruntled colleague on the run, Mariana’s (Milian) quiet night at home turns into a terrifying fight for her own survival. —Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2026

Could the modern classic sitcom about a group of disgruntled office workers' love affairs, friendships, falling outs, and petty squabbles be made today? —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 15 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of disgruntle

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above