disappointment

noun

ˌdis-ə-ˈpȯint-mənt How to pronounce disappointment (audio)
Definition of disappointmentnext
1
as in frustration
the emotion felt when one's expectations are not met we felt keen disappointment when our offer on the house was rejected

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in letdown
something that disappoints after all the publicity and high expectations, the sequel to the movie blockbuster was a huge disappointment

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 disappointment The trilogy’s conversations enact this dialectic of disappointment and discovery. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026 As the moon clashes with Chiron, confront disappointment without throwing in the towel. — Usa Today, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026 But this season, the Panthers are turning that disappointment into motivation. — Jaylon Shoots, CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026 Kid Cudi defended his decision to perform with his longtime friend and controversial musician, Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), after some fans and critics expressed disappointment. — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for disappointment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disappointment
  1. frustration
  2. letdown
  3. dismay
  4. loser
  5. dissatisfaction
  6. failure
  7. sadness
  8. bummer
Noun
  • The frustration within the Democratic caucus immediately prompted some calls for harsh consequences.
    — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The AfD was created in 2013 as a small anti-euro party before morphing into an anti-migrant force that tapped into voter frustration over immigration and the strains many Germans perceive on housing, jobs and public services.
    — Erik Kirschbaum, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of frustration
Noun
  • Sure, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was a letdown, but the full truth is more complicated.
    — Frank DeRuggiero, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Our review highlighted its everyday usability, lightweight design, and overall good value, though this configuration’s measly 128GB of storage is a bit of a letdown.
    — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of letdown
Noun
  • People in New York City looked up in shock and dismay; people everywhere else watched their favorite anchors on old-fashioned television sets and looked for updates on very rudimentary versions of news websites.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026
  • It is disjointed beyond belief, a wrestling match between dismay and elation.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of dismay
Noun
  • Not to mention his owner, Charlie Brown, perhaps the most lovable loser ever drawn.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026
  • There was no way Weekend Predictions could be the biggest local loser in Week 1.
    — Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of loser
Noun
  • But any new owner was likely to be championed, so great was the dissatisfaction.
    — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • But for Amal, a new way of thinking about her future is dawning, and with it, potential dissatisfaction with what previously had been her set role in life.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of dissatisfaction
Noun
  • Their failure to receive one may be attributed to their having vague symptoms, such as a general feeling of malaise, weakness, or fluctuating muscle pain.
    — Jerome Groopman, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Compounding the issue was UM’s failure to get to the quarterback.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of failure
Noun
  • Despite being steeped in the sadness and frustration of the working class, Lee’s drama uses its film-within-a-film construct to refract the moral valences of labor through the prism of what people actually earn through their work.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2026
  • This one, however, finds the director in a mood to confront the inevitable changes and march of time, its joys and sadness in the lives of ordinary people going about living it.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of sadness
Noun
  • Which is a bummer, because this team is — somehow — very, very good.
    — Chris Branch, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • That was one of my biggest takeaways — and bummers — from my conversation with Chris Barker, an epidemiology professor at UC Davis who has studied mosquitoes for almost 30 years, including at his lab.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of bummer

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disappointing
disappointment
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Cite this Entry

“Disappointment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disappointment. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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