1
as in disappointment
the emotion felt when one's expectations are not met
the museum exhibit was just so-so, and we returned home with a vague sense of letdown
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to disappoint
to fall short in satisfying the expectation or hope of
with my poor performance I really felt that I had let my teammates down
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 letdown
Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 8 Jan. 2026
But the Celtics played with the effort necessary to avoid a trap-game letdown.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Definitely felt a little let down after the Boston game.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for letdown
Noun
The Aggies may have a bit of a letdown coming off the big win over Auburn, but home-court advantage could push A&M over the top.
—Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 8 Jan. 2026
But the Celtics played with the effort necessary to avoid a trap-game letdown.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
Verb
It is only let down by still being in the middle of a vast construction site which will eventually house a waterpark, hotels, a F1 racing track, and a cliff-top stadium.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Definitely felt a little let down after the Boston game.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for letdown
Recent Examples of Synonyms for letdown
Noun
-
That disappointment disappeared Tuesday when Bennett was named to the team as a late replacement, filling in for Tampa Bay’s injured forward Anthony Cirelli.—
Adam Lichtenstein,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Sometimes, to his disappointment, the familiar seal was nowhere in sight.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Best Amazon Designer Shoes Deals Last but not least, Amazon's designer shoe section never disappoints.—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Viewers who tune into NBC’s Super Bowl pre-game looking for pizza ads will be disappointed, according to one of the people familiar with the matter.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Republicans argue the region’s frustrations reflect years of structural failures under Cooper’s disaster management system, stretching back to earlier storms.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The Dane may well share his captain’s frustration at the lack of January signings, but Romero surely cannot repeatedly publicly criticise Spurs and escape punishment.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Our dismay over the missing notebooks is shared by Josh Levy, who's the historian of science and technology at the manuscript division of the Library of Congress.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Then, to some parents’ dismay, Thursday too.—
Jessica Ma,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Letdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/letdown. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
