1
as in disappointment
the emotion felt when one's expectations are not met
filled with dismay at not making the finals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in despair
the state of being discouraged
in my dismay I failed to realize that there would be other chances
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to discourage
to lessen the courage or confidence of
the imposing climb up the mountain dismayed us even before we got started
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to concern
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dismay
Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 3 June 2026
It’s stirred up real emotions from fans, who have taken to social media platforms to express their dismay.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 10 May 2026
The American public is dismayed and frustrated that Congress is not stepping up to protect our nation against the extreme tyranny of this administration.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for dismay
Noun
In April, the industry group expressed dismay at the FAA’s call to roll back hundreds of flights at Chicago O’Hare International Airport this summer to avoid worsening flight delays.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 3 June 2026
It’s stirred up real emotions from fans, who have taken to social media platforms to express their dismay.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Verb
Stephen Curry, who initially was dismayed the Warriors had let Jackson go, led the team in scoring with 24 points.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 10 May 2026
The American public is dismayed and frustrated that Congress is not stepping up to protect our nation against the extreme tyranny of this administration.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for dismay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dismay
Noun
-
England, by my estimation, landed in a tougher than normal group, especially given the size of this World Cup field, but the squad has ridiculous talent and is due for a major run given some recent disappointments.—
Kellis Robinett,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
-
Yet, where the masses saw disappointment, Sakic saw accomplishment.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Those raw emotions and moments of shared experience, which can be so hard to find in a fractured society, will be replicated all over the world in the coming weeks, bring families, communities and entire nations together, uniting them in hope, joy and, of course, despair.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
-
On the other side of the couch, Kyle sits staring at them both, alternating between anger and grief, and although Andy didn’t spend much time trying to peel back the layers of Kyle’s despair, his aimlessness is as much at the heart of this season as anything Amanda and West did.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
The company’s claim is that MST modifies the mechanical stress state of the silicon surface in a way that discourages dislocation nucleation and propagation during the subsequent GaN growth steps.—
Aditya Jadhav,
Interesting Engineering,
8 June 2026
-
For most of the post-civil-rights era, a tacit consensus discouraged white Americans from thinking of themselves as avatars of a racial demographic.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
As far as Fleur is concerned, nothing and nobody else compares to the stack of paper in her hands.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
For buyers concerned about range anxiety, the results offer a practical benchmark that often proves more useful than manufacturer specifications alone.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Those frustrations turned to elation last summer when not only did Uzbekistan finally qualify, but did so with a game to spare when edging out the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in their group.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
-
Rajoub refused the entreaty, much to the frustration and embarrassment of Infantino.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Councilmember Nithya Raman on Wednesday cast the November mayoral runoff as a choice between change and the status quo, arguing that Los Angeles voters are frustrated with City Hall and ready for new leadership.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
11 June 2026
-
His futile dreams of Mexico were not a metaphor for a life frustrated by unresolved dreams.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
This poor girl no longer has an identity beyond pleasing her male companion, who becomes both stifled by alarmed by this sudden, non-consensual change in personality.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
The closures shrink the countywide advanced voting location network from 18 to 12 voting sites — alarming some Johnson County and city officials and the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
The dissatisfaction with World Cup ticket pricing reflects a general discomfort with income distribution in the modern world.—
Stefan Szymanski,
The Conversation,
10 June 2026
-
His outrage mirrored broader dissatisfaction with Bass, a Democrat who was on a presidential delegation to Ghana when the blaze began and has faced criticism for the slow pace of rebuilding.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dismay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dismay. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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