English Reference
Verb

dejected

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /dɪˈdʒɛktɪd/ UK /dɪdʒˈɛktɪd/ de·ject·ed

v.feeling very sad and disappointed because something bad happened. You use this when you are low in spirit and feel like you have failed.

v.feeling or showing a sense of deep disappointment, sadness, or discouragement. Often used to describe a person's emotional state after a failure or loss.


SIMPLE

He looked dejected after hearing the bad news.

CONTEXTUAL

The team sat in the locker room in a dejected silence after the final whistle blew.

COMPLEX

Despite the initial excitement of the project, the team grew increasingly dejected as the budget cuts began to stifle their creative vision.

After last year’s decision, the dejected Dabrowski turned to social media as he faced losing the dog who has been with him for more than half her life.

Toronto Sun· 8 Sept 2026

A male character is slumped on a chair, dejected; the shot moves in close to focus on their draped fingers.

The Guardian· 3 Sept 2026

From deject + -ed.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated