disappointment

disappointment — noun

1. the sad or unhappy feeling you have when something does not happen the way you w

1.nounB1
Definition

the sad or unhappy feeling you have when something does not happen the way you wanted or expected it to

Example

Yuki tried hard to hide her disappointment when she did not get the job.

hide + disappointment (suppressing emotion)

To the children's great disappointment, the school trip was cancelled because of the storm.

to [someone]'s great disappointment (phrase structure)

Common collocations
  • feel disappointment
  • hide / conceal / mask disappointment
  • express / voice disappointment
  • great / deep / bitter / sharp / huge disappointment
  • disappointment at / over / about something
  • disappointment with someone
  • to someone's disappointment
  • a sense / feeling of disappointment
Synonyms
  • frustration

    stronger and includes a sense of being blocked or annoyed, while disappointment is more about sadness from unmet hopes

  • dissatisfaction

    milder and more ongoing; disappointment is tied to a specific expectation that failed

  • letdown

    informal; refers more to the feeling after an event rather than a general emotion

  • regret

    focuses on wishing you had acted differently, not on an external hope that failed

Antonyms
  • satisfaction

    the positive feeling when hopes are met

  • delight

    a much stronger positive feeling of great pleasure

Grammar Patterns

[possessive] + disappointment

to [someone]'s disappointment

disappointment + at/with/over/about [something]

Usage Note

Usually uncountable. Frequently appears in the fixed phrase 'to someone's disappointment' and with intensifiers such as 'great', 'deep', 'bitter', 'sharp', and 'huge'.

Common Mistakes

The news brought me a disappointment.' (when referring to the general feeling)
The news brought me disappointment.
In sense 1, 'disappointment' is uncountable and does not take the article 'a'.
She expressed her disappoint about the result.
She expressed her disappointment about the result.
'Disappoint' is a verb; the correct noun form is 'disappointment'.

2. a person, event, or thing that makes you feel sad because it falls short of what

2.nounB1
Definition

a person, event, or thing that makes you feel sad because it falls short of what you wanted or believed it would be

Example

The new restaurant was a disappointment — the food arrived cold and the service was slow.

[noun] + was a disappointment (linking structure)

Owen said his son's behaviour at dinner was a disappointment to the whole family.

a disappointment to [someone] (target of feeling)

Common collocations
  • be a disappointment
  • a (huge / great / bitter / real) disappointment
  • a disappointment to someone
  • turn out to be a disappointment
  • prove a disappointment
Synonyms
  • letdown

    informal; almost always about an event or thing, rarely about a person

  • failure

    broader and stronger; a failure does not necessarily involve someone's prior hopes

  • flop

    informal; specifically used for entertainment products (films, shows, books) that performed poorly

Antonyms
  • success

    a person or thing that meets or exceeds expectations

  • pleasure

    a person or thing that gives joy rather than sadness

Grammar Patterns

[noun/pronoun] + be + a + disappointment

a + disappointment + to [someone]

Usage Note

Countable — always requires an article (a / an) when singular. The subject is often an event, a performance, a product, or a person's behaviour. Can refer to both people ('He is a disappointment') and things ('The film was a disappointment').

Common Mistakes

My son is disappointment to me.
My son is a disappointment to me.
In sense 2, 'disappointment' is countable and needs the article 'a'.
The movie was so disappoint.
The movie was so disappointing.' or 'The movie was such a disappointment.
Use the adjective 'disappointing' or the countable noun with an article, never the bare verb 'disappoint'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Disappointment is the sadness that follows when something does not meet your hopes. Frustration adds anger or irritation at being blocked from a goal — you can feel both disappointed and frustrated, but frustration is more active. Letdown is informal and often refers to a specific event or performance that fell short. Regret looks backward at your own choices rather than at an external outcome that failed your expectations. Dissatisfaction is a milder, more general unease that can persist over time, while disappointment usually attaches to a particular moment or event. For example: 'The team felt disappointment after losing the final' (sadness at the outcome) versus 'The team felt frustration at the referee's bad calls' (anger at being blocked) versus 'The team expressed dissatisfaction with their overall season' (ongoing discontent).

frustration ↗letdownregret ↗dissatisfaction

Common collocations

Nouns

  • sense of disappointment
  • feeling of disappointment
  • look of disappointment

Adverbs

  • bitterly disappointed
  • deeply disappointed

Phrases

  • to someone's disappointment
  • in disappointment

Prepositions

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

Comes from the French verb 'désappointer', formed by 'dés-' (meaning 'away, removal') and 'appointer' (meaning 'to appoint, arrange'). In the 1400s, 'disappoint' meant 'to remove someone from a position or office.' By the 1500s, the meaning shifted to 'fail to keep an appointment or promise,' and later to 'fail to meet someone's hopes or expectations.' The noun 'disappointment' appeared in English by the early 1600s.