disappoint

verb

ˌdis-ə-ˈpȯint How to pronounce disappoint (audio)
Definition of disappointnext
as in to fail
to fall short in satisfying the expectation or hope of they were disappointed by the outcome of the big game

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disappoint Isis Martinez, 50, left the Democratic Party and then the Republican Party, disappointed in both. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2026 Hall was disappointed by the lack of Republican options in local races. — Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 4 Nov. 2026 And the good news is, Palmer certainly did not disappoint on that front. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026 Hardcore MTBers will be disappointed but this is a deliberate attempt to entice existing Honda motorbike, car and SUV owners into a new world. — New Atlas, 3 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for disappoint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disappoint
  1. fail
  2. cheat
  3. displease
  4. upset
Verb
  • Just the other day, a source was venting to me about how Silicon Valley billionaires have failed to use their wealth to improve their own surroundings.
    — Julia Black, Vanity Fair, 11 Nov. 2026
  • The Hope spent much of its time ferrying sailors and the wounded from other ships or ports to military hospitals, and like the Comfort, it too was attacked multiple times, though each attack failed, usually just missing the ship.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of fail
Verb
  • Honestly, Trump’s attempt to cheat by pressuring states to simply disenfranchise Democrats may go down in history as one of the greatest political self-owns of all time — right behind that Ramaswamy ad.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Later on, after the guests have left, this cheating convention makes Kaylee nervous.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of cheat
Verb
  • Some preservationists were displeased with the demolition, especially because Charlotte hasn’t necessarily been kind to its historic buildings.
    — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The sickly scent of alcohol filled the air and, when mixed with accompanying cigar smoke, combined for an odor most might find displeasing.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of displease
Verb
  • But there’s a lot of moving pieces, including the fact that the singer was also recently upset by the fact that pictures of her wedding décor leaked.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Somehow Serra upset Sherman Oaks Notre Dame last week, then won a coin flip to finish in third place in the Mission League.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of upset

Browse Nearby Words

disappears
disappoint
disappointed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Disappoint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disappoint. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gauntlet

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All