1
as in discouraging
to lessen the courage or confidence of
the imposing climb up the mountain dismayed us even before we got started
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in alarming
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
parents who became increasingly dismayed by their son's foundering marriage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in disconcerting
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dismaying
Justin Davidson, Curbed, 27 June 2025
For the Congolese government, the ineffective Western responses follow a dismaying pattern.
—Michela Wrong, Foreign Affairs, 3 Mar. 2025
Americans, and a dismaying number of politicians, keep crying for a crackdown on crimes that aren’t happening.
—F.k. Plous, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2025
The late President’s priorities were remarkably prescient, and his personal qualities offered a dismaying contrast to so much of the present state of American politics.
—Erin Neil, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for dismaying
Verb
And developers who take on the spatial complexities of working with old architecture face a dismaying array of bureaucratic and financial challenges.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 27 June 2025
For the Congolese government, the ineffective Western responses follow a dismaying pattern.
—Michela Wrong, Foreign Affairs, 3 Mar. 2025
Americans, and a dismaying number of politicians, keep crying for a crackdown on crimes that aren’t happening.
—F.k. Plous, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2025
The late President’s priorities were remarkably prescient, and his personal qualities offered a dismaying contrast to so much of the present state of American politics.
—Erin Neil, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for dismaying
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dismaying
Verb
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The opposing view is that discouraging tourists could hurt local economies that rely on them.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Oct. 2025
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Trump is attacking immigration at both ends of spectrum, deporting low-wage laborers and discouraging skilled foreigners from bringing their talents to the United States.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Browning has thrown eight interceptions in four starts, which was alarming enough for the Bengals to make a move.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
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But also alarming is that government officials don’t seem to take seriously the need to justify the reasons for their use of force, which should only be wielded to protect the rights of Americans.—
Agustina Vergara Cid,
Oc Register,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The findings are deeply disconcerting.—
Stephanie Silverman,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
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And things grow even more disconcerting when Miss Giddens begins seeing things and hearing voices.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Conventional cleanup techniques often worsen the problem by disturbing soil structures and consuming large amounts of energy.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
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There is trash and pollutants from the tourists and gravel has been mined from the area to make trekking routes for people, disturbing the places where females may have laid their eggs, researchers said.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
At the end of the day, the result was a bit disheartening.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
14 Sep. 2025
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Seeing that textbook go to waste felt very disheartening.—
Sami Khan,
Mercury News,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This allows Ukrainian soldiers to conduct bold exploratory missions deep into the territory now controlled by Russia while not worrying about losing their Starlink signal.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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Is there a health issue that's worrying you?—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In at least two of the incidents, Spors exhibited troubling behaviors indicative of an ongoing mental health crisis and was once taken to a hospital but discharged, records show.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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From an early age, DeSalvo exhibited troubling behavior.—
Jane LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Karbler notes that Bigelow resisted that depiction for fear of distracting from the emotional moment.—
Jake Kring-Schreifels,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
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Surprisingly, the injury helped him in this regard by distracting him from overanalyzing his game.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dismaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dismaying. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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