discontent

discontent — noun

1. a feeling of unhappiness or anger because you do not have what you want or you f

1.nounB2
Definition

a feeling of unhappiness or anger because you do not have what you want or you feel that your situation is not as good as it should be

Example

Growing discontent among factory workers led to a strike that stopped production for two weeks.

collocation: growing discontent / widespread discontent

The survey revealed widespread public discontent with the new education policy.

Common collocations
  • growing discontent
  • widespread discontent
  • public discontent
  • deep discontent
  • simmering discontent
  • express discontent
  • hide discontent
  • fuel discontent
Synonyms
  • dissatisfaction

    more general and milder; can refer to any lack of satisfaction

  • unrest

    suggests visible signs of discontent such as protests or demonstrations

  • displeasure

    milder, often referring to annoyance rather than deep unhappiness

  • discontentment

    a less common synonym with the same meaning

Antonyms
  • contentment

    a state of happiness and satisfaction

  • satisfaction

    the feeling of being pleased with what you have or receive

Grammar Patterns

discontent + with + noun phrase

discontent + among + plural noun

Usage Note

Often followed by 'with' to name the source of unhappiness (discontent with the policy) or 'among' to name the group (discontent among voters). Frequently used in political, workplace, and social contexts.

Common Mistakes

There is growing discontent to the new law.
There is growing discontent with the new law.
'discontent' takes the preposition 'with', not 'to'.
The employees feel discontent about their salaries.
The employees feel discontent with their salaries.
'about' may be heard informally, but 'with' is the standard preposition.

discontent — adjective

discontent — verb

Word family

  • discontented
    adjectiveB2
  • discontentedly
    adverbC1
  • discontentment
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Dissatisfaction is the most general and mildest term — it simply means a lack of satisfaction with any situation, from a meal to a policy. Discontent goes deeper: it carries emotional weight and often implies a desire for change or improvement (e.g., 'growing discontent among factory workers'). Unrest is a collective term for visible, often public signs of widespread discontent, such as protests or demonstrations — it describes the visible result rather than the feeling itself. Displeasure is milder than discontent and closer to annoyance or mild anger; it is often directed at a specific action or person ('He expressed his displeasure at the delay'). Discontentment is a less common synonym for discontent with no difference in meaning. In practice, a person feels dissatisfaction about a product, feels discontent about their life, and when enough people share that discontent, the result may be social unrest.

dissatisfactionunrest ↗displeasure ↗discontentment

Common collocations

Nouns

  • workers
  • citizens
  • employees
  • public
  • customers
  • voters

Adverbs

Phrases

  • sense of discontent
  • source of discontent
  • feeling of discontent
  • wave of discontent

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed from the prefix 'dis-' (meaning 'not' or 'opposite of') and 'content' (meaning 'satisfied'). The word came into English from Old French 'descontent' in the 15th century, first as an adjective describing someone who is not satisfied. The noun and verb uses developed later, with the noun becoming the most common form in modern English.