disappointment
n.-
1 the feeling of sadness (n.) B1 Intermediatethe sad feeling you have when something you wanted does not happen or is not as good as you expected.
the emotional state of sadness or frustration arising from the failure of expectations to be realised.
ExampleTo my great disappointment, the concert was cancelled at the last minute.
ExampleShe struggled to hide her disappointment when the promotion she had worked toward for years was given to a less experienced colleague.
- sadness
- letdown
- frustration
PitfallHe felt a big disappointment when he failed.He felt great disappointment when he failed.When talking about the general feeling, 'disappointment' is often uncountable and does not need 'a'.
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2 a person or thing that fails (n.) B1 Intermediatea person, thing, or event that is not as good as you hoped it would be.
a specific person, object, or event that fails to meet expectations or standards.
ExampleThe new movie was a huge disappointment after all the positive reviews.
ExampleThe seasonal harvest proved to be a bitter disappointment for the local farmers, yielding less than half of the projected crop.
UsageIn this sense, the noun is countable and usually follows 'be' or 'prove to be'.
- failure
- letdown
From disappoint + -ment.