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

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 Democratic leaders actually were troubled by Mamdani’s rise (although their preference for a disgraced former governor was equally dismaying), but Democratic voters handed Mamdani a solid victory despite his radical positions. — Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 28 Nov. 2025

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

The traditional avenue for dealing with this disconcerting situation would be to hire specialist counselors trained as therapists and psychologists and station them at the schools for ready access by students.

— Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
In the finale, Matthew’s scenes with K Callan, who plays Ruth, are really disconcerting.

— Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2026

Definition of disconcerting

Verb

The article highlights how women often receive discouraging feedback for risk-taking, unlike men, which can hinder their pursuit of leadership roles.

— Kim Elsesser, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Novels are, of course, alive in the sense that they are still being written and published, but the data for their long-term vitality is discouraging.

— Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 8 July 2026

Definition of discouraging

Verb

So, even just the unusual presence of an aircraft in this area made this incident alarming for one resident, Anna, who spoke to CNN near the scene.

— Steven Jiang, CNN Money, 26 June 2026
At the same time, the state’s spending keeps growing quickly as well, alarming the Legislative Analyst’s Office, which advises the Legislature on fiscal matters.

— Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2026

Definition of alarming

Adjective

That process repeats over and over and can be very disheartening to the team.

— Peter Nelson, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026
Still, during a summer when the Tigers are trying to resuscitate their season after a disheartening May, process creates only so much comfort.

— Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 25 June 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

At the beginning of the year, Grok sparked outrage for being used to generate millions of conconsensual nudes of real people, including children, disturbing some employees, according to Bloomberg.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 16 July 2026
And people are increasingly good at disturbing things, through means like suburbanization.

— Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 14 July 2026

Definition of disturbing

Adjective

Typically, doctors are advised to discuss testosterone therapy with men who have troubling symptoms and documented low levels of the hormone on two separate blood tests.

— Konstantin Toropin, Fortune, 15 July 2026
What’s especially troubling now is how fast margin debt has grown relative to S & P 500 returns.

— Sean Conlon, CNBC, 15 July 2026

Definition of troubling

Verb

Spending so much time with Raskova’s frown was a miscalculation, when Sasha and Anastasia falling for each other, and Valya worrying about how Tanya’s past would haunt them forever, were so much more compelling.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 July 2026
Permission to retire, to spend, to travel, to help family members and to stop worrying about market headlines.

— Nathaniel Tilton, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of worrying

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“Dismaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dismaying. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of dismaying

adjective

verb

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