English Lexicon

Disappointment

/ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntmənt/
nounCEFR B1 (Intermediate)Top #1500 frequency
Full Thesaurus

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    The feeling of sadness or displeasure caused by the non-fulfillment of one's hopes or expectations.

    "She felt a deep sense of disappointment when she didn't get the job she applied for."
  2. 2

    An event or situation that causes such a feeling.

    "The cancellation of the concert was a major disappointment for the fans."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

The word 'disappointment' originates from the Middle English 'disappointen', which means to deprive of an appointment. It is derived from the prefix 'dis-' meaning 'not' or 'opposite of', and 'appoint', which comes from the Old French 'apointier', meaning to arrange or fix. Over time, its meaning evolved to signify the feeling of sadness or displeasure caused by the non-fulfillment of one's hopes or expectations.

Quick Vocabulary Retention Check

Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Disappointment"?

Thesaurus & Synonyms Graph

Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Disappointment"

Discover exact matches, context-specific alternatives, and antonyms with intensity ratings in the VocabDictionary Thesaurus.

View "Disappointment" Synonym Map