DISMAYING Synonyms: 176 Similar and Opposite Words

dismaying 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of dismaying

as in disconcerting

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dismaying

2 of 2

verb

present participle of dismay

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in alarming

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy parents who became increasingly dismayed by their son's foundering marriage

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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 dismaying

Adjective

But there’s another side to this story, equally dismaying, which is the abandonment of dissidents as a public cause in the West. — Bret Stephens, Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2026 With little to no foil for this dismaying existence, however, Half His Age often succumbs to shock value in lieu of pushing beyond that which offends. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 Jan. 2026

Verb

Thinking of my mother marooned in her house was dismaying to me. — Nicholas Dawidoff, New Yorker, 10 May 2026 That the Illini couldn’t complete their comeback attempt despite cutting it to four in the final minutes was dismaying. — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dismaying

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dismaying

Adjective

Ultimately, swarms of AI could combine in rather disconcerting and dangerous ways.

— Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
There was a brief, disconcerting interlude of quiet from the Argentina fans after that.

— Sam Knight, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

Definition of disconcerting

Verb

For some, these new measures promise to weed out AI use in the classroom, whether by discouraging students from relying on LLMs or equipping professors with a foolproof method of identifying its use.

— Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Some researchers also wondered whether therapeutic ideas about trauma and family dynamics could play a role in discouraging liberals from having kids.

— Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of discouraging

Verb

The development proved alarming enough that OpenAI vowed last week to slow the release of its upcoming Astra AI model.

— Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 12 Aug. 2026
Found in many foods For consumers, of course, the latest food safety concerns can be alarming given that lettuce and jalapeño peppers are used in many of the roughly 1 billion meals Americans consume daily.

— Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of alarming

Adjective

This has been especially disheartening because the strategy and RPG elements the series is known for have so far been excellent.

— Jay Peters, The Verge, 13 Aug. 2026
Selina Wang, the lead author of the study, says the findings are particularly disheartening, as avocado oil products are often much more expensive than those made with olive or other vegetable oils.

— Brittney Melton, NPR, 24 July 2026

Definition of disheartening

Verb

But Algo’s hyper-logical, computerised process of consistently picking the favourites to win was undone in the second match of the day, with Ghana frustrating England in a 0-0 draw.

— The Athletic Soccer Experts, New York Times, 24 June 2026
The documentary’s contradiction is right there, enthralling us with the wild achievements Potter pulled off and frustrating us with his bombast, leading us to ponder whether, as The Dark Wizard suggests, either could exist without the other.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 May 2026

Definition of frustrating

Verb

Tian took the photo during his biodiversity research on the seaway, using environmental DNA sampling and drone surveys to monitor the ecosystem’s health, without disturbing any of the resident wildlife.

— Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026
All three will face a slew of charges, including injuring or removing a tomb or monument, disturbing the contents of a grave or tomb and grand theft, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday.

— Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of disturbing

Adjective

Looking for a way to prove his value, Jackson instead discovers troubling research from the company’s own climate scientists projecting a rapid rise in global temperatures.

— Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2026
For a brief period Wednesday, the president set aside more troubling issues to revel in his role as White House redeveloper.

— Dan Diamond, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of troubling

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“Dismaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dismaying. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of dismaying

adjective

verb

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