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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 Broncos bounced back from that disappointment with a 49-14 win over Monmouth this past weekend. — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 14 Sep. 2026 And just like in the original movie, there was disappointment along with elation. — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2026 They were already gone, having evacuated the site of collective disappointment faster than seemed possible for a crowd of such size. — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026 Speakers during public comment at the town hall accused the board of mishandling the hiring process and expressed disappointment that another popular candidate, Guion Creek Middle School athletic director John Dawkins, was rejected. — Aubrey Wright, IndyStar, 11 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
  • Officials familiar with the higher casualty number expressed frustration that the additional loss of life is not reflected in the Pentagon's public casualty portal.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Because the therapy is off-label, insurance routinely denies coverage, forcing clinicians and patients to improvise — a frustration that Dombo experienced firsthand.
    — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of frustration
Noun
  • Not after the constant letdowns during both of their tenures.
    — James Boyd, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Simply put, the Dallas Cowboys suffered a massive letdown on Sunday night.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of letdown
Noun
  • The cursed island town in Widow’s Bay has summoned all kinds of supernatural entities, much to the dismay of its residents.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of dismay
Noun
  • The biggest losers right now are truckload carriers, especially small firms or owner-operators.
    — Kevin Williams, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The losers would include the families of passengers who were uninsured, those of trespassers who were careless (or suicidal), and, equally tragically, those of unfortunate railway employees killed in the course of their employment.
    — Amelia Soth, JSTOR Daily, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of loser
Noun
  • There is already a feeling among many supporters that the time spent poring over marginal decisions — all those interminable stoppages for calls that are going to cause dissatisfaction, whatever the outcome — is far too much.
    — Oliver Kay, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • At the same time, dissatisfaction has increased to a high of 67%.
    — Jocelyn Gecker, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of dissatisfaction
Noun
  • It is built the same way that the figure skater builds a routine or the running back learns to explode through a crack in the line—repetition after repetition, failure after failure, with no shortcut available and no machine that can stand in.
    — Dan Rockmore, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
  • That makes preventing deployment and routing failures especially important as these fleets expand.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of failure
Noun
  • Postpartum depression can be anxiousness or sadness, tearfulness, difficulty sleeping.
    — Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The sadness comes from reflecting on how those founders used their newly independent government and military might against Indigenous people.
    — Scott Baldauf, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of sadness
Noun
  • The early start to this NFL season yielded the earliest bummer.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 10 Sep. 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
disappointments
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Cite this Entry

“Disappointment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disappointment. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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