Word
dismay
Phoneticsdis·may
US/dɪsˈmeɪ/
UK/dɪsmˈeɪ/
Definition
n. a strong feeling of being worried, disappointed, or upset because of something unexpected. You feel this when things go wrong and you do not know what to do.
n. a sudden or complete loss of courage or resolution in the face of unforeseen danger or trouble. Often describes a mixture of shock and distress.
Examples
“She looked at the broken window with dismay.”
“To the dismay of the local residents, the council decided to close the community library.”
“The sudden collapse of the peace talks was met with widespread dismay by international observers who had spent months brokering the agreement.”
Examples
simple
“She looked at the broken window with dismay.”
contextual
“To the dismay of the local residents, the council decided to close the community library.”
complex
“The sudden collapse of the peace talks was met with widespread dismay by international observers who had spent months brokering the agreement.”
Usage
Often used in the phrase 'to someone's dismay' to indicate their reaction to an event.
Real-World Examples
“Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf said he received the news "with dismay and sadness".” Etymology
From Middle English dismayen, from Anglo-Norman desmaiier, alteration of Old French esmaier (“to frighten”), probably from Vulgar Latin exmagare (“to deprive (someone) of strength, to disable”), from ex- + magare (“to enable, empower”), from Proto-Germanic maginą, maganą (“might, power”), from Proto-Indo-European megʰ- (“to be able”). Akin to Old High German magan, megin (“power, might, main”), Old English mæġen (“might, main”), Old High German magan, mugan (“to be powerful, able”), Old English magan (“to be able”). Cognate with Portuguese desmaiar (“to faint”) and Spanish esmayar. See also Portuguese esmagar, Spanish amagar. More at main, may.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/dismay