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 of displease

• annoy
• irritate
• dissatisfy
• disturb

Examples of displease in a Sentence

her coworkers' tendency to pry displeased her

Recent Examples on the Web

Speaking about Alice Sebold’s book The Lovely Bones, which Ramsay had originally been hired to adapt and direct, Ramsay recalls Sebold being displeased with her original adaptation. —Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026

Khamenei was known to be displeased when asked to referee disagreements between subordinates. —Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2026

Trump has also extracted settlements from ABC and CBS News in lawsuits over stories that displeased him, and is suing the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. —David Bauder, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2025

Cue the rattling of sabers and gnashing of teeth — until a deal is done that pleases (and displeases) both parties. —Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 22 Dec. 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