dismays

verb

present tense third-person singular of dismay
1
as in discourages
to lessen the courage or confidence of the imposing climb up the mountain dismayed us even before we got started

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disturbs
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

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 dismays This exploration of the American grasslands – from soil, water, and insects to farmers, plows, and buffalo – dismays, yes, but also invigorates. — Monitor Staff, Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dismays
  1. discourages
  2. disturbs
  3. frustrates
  4. bothers
  5. distracts
  6. concerns
  7. worries
  8. alarms
Verb
  • The policy discourages beginning an investigation, taking investigative steps, bringing criminal charges, or making public statements for the purpose of affecting an election or to give a candidate an advantage or disadvantage.
    — Dan Mangan, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026
  • This disparity discourages investment in maintenance, security and documentation.
    — Kevin Korte, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of discourages
Verb
  • Some of the sightings claim a man wearing clothing typical of the 17th or 18th centuries, a man dressed in Confederate attire in the liquor room, a ghost of a former worker Joseph Hardesty and a female who actively disturbs visitors to her home.
    — Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Vibration disturbs the natural sediments in wine, flattening the flavor and aging it prematurely.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of disturbs
Verb
  • If finding a parking space frustrates you, prospective residents may feel the same way.
    — Elie Rieder, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Maybe that is why this political language frustrates me so much.
    — Angelette C. Aviles, Baltimore Sun, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of frustrates
Verb
  • Resist that reflex long enough to understand what bothers you.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Fix what genuinely bothers you, but do not turn your whole life into a renovation project.
    — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of bothers
Verb
  • Yes, a legal circus distracts from the things that matter and creates a massive amount of drama all its own.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Often, undercapitalization is a major challenge for new franchisees and distracts from operations.
    — Angelo Chavez, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of distracts
Verb
  • The dispute also concerns how OpenAI recruited former Apple employees for its consumer hardware and robotics teams.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026
  • But there is another kind of encampment that concerns me even more.
    — Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of concerns
Verb
  • Making wellness accessible As holistic wellness becomes increasingly mainstream, Warren-Thomas worries that rising costs are making some services inaccessible to the communities they were originally intended to serve.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026
  • China worries The initial jitters came at the start of the week after China's leading memory chipmaker ChangXin Memory Technologies, or CXMT, announced plans to roll out a server memory product based on new architecture.
    — Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of worries
Verb
  • That prospect alarms those in Europe, who fear FIFA could increasingly challenge their competitions for space on an already overcrowded calendar.
    — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • He becomes increasingly consumed by the otherworldly dimension, which alarms his therapist, Mary (Renate Reinsve).
    — Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 30 May 2026
Definition of alarms

Browse Nearby Words

dismaying
dismays
dismember
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Cite this Entry

“Dismays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dismays. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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