displease

verb

dis·​please (ˌ)dis-ˈplēz 

displeased; displeasing; displeases

transitive verb

1

: to incur the disapproval or dislike of especially by annoying

their gossip displeases her

2

: to be offensive to

abstract art displeases him

intransitive verb

: to give displeasure

behavior calculated to displease

Synonyms

• annoy
• irritate
• dissatisfy
• disturb

Examples of displease in a Sentence

her coworkers' tendency to pry displeased her

Recent Examples on the Web

Auto companies will not be displeased with a 15% tariff. —Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025

As the 100th day of his second term approached, a Fox News survey found voters approved of the job Trump was doing on border security, but were displeased with just about every other issue — including inflation. —Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2025

They are audience-captured in two directions—pleasing Trump would mean displeasing their audiences, and vice versa—leaving them to make an awkward choice. —Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 16 July 2025

Snyder’s emphasis on moral mythology in those artistic blockbusters confused cultural gatekeepers, displeasing fanboys of Marvel and The Dark Knight. —Armond White, National Review, 18 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English displesen, from Anglo-French despleisir, desplere, from des- dis- + pleisir to please — more at please

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for displease

• agrees
• appease
• bailees
• bougies
• burmese
• chemise
• chickpeas
• chinese
• cowpeas
• curies
• decrees
• degrees

Kids Definition

displease

verb

dis·​please (ˈ)dis-ˈplēz 

: to cause to feel disapproval, dislike, or annoyance

was displeased by the delay