ENGLISH
REFERENCE

disappoint

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪnt// UK //dˌɪsɐpˈɔɪnt// dis·ap·point Archaic General-service

v. to fail to meet someone's hopes or expectations. You feel this way when something is not as good as you thought it would be.

v. to fail to satisfy the hopes, desires, or expectations of someone. Transitive — requires a direct object, which is typically the person or entity experiencing the letdown.


SIMPLE

I am sorry to disappoint you, but the tickets are sold out.

CONTEXTUAL

The sequel to the movie did not disappoint the fans, as it featured the same humor as the original.

COMPLEX

While the technical specifications of the new smartphone are impressive, the actual battery life may disappoint users who rely on their devices for heavy media consumption throughout the day.

Origin

From Middle French desapointer (compare French désappointer). The word originally meant to "dispossess of appointed office", and eventually broadened to mean "to frustrate the expectations or desires of" and "defeat the realization or fulfillment of".

Usage

The verb is transitive and takes a direct object. It is frequently used in the passive voice ('to be disappointed') followed by 'with', 'by', or 'at'.

Pitfall

The news disappointed to me.The news disappointed me.Disappoint is a transitive verb and takes a direct object; it does not require a preposition before the person being disappointed.

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