disappointment
B1Neutral, used across all registers from formal to informal.
Definition
Meaning
The feeling of sadness or displeasure caused by the non-fulfilment of one's hopes or expectations.
A person, event, or thing that causes such a feeling. Also, the state of being prevented from achieving or attaining something.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily an abstract noun referring to an emotional state, but can be used countably to refer to the specific source of that feeling.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant spelling or meaning differences. Minor collocational frequency variations exist.
Connotations
Identical. The word carries the same emotional weight and range in both varieties.
Frequency
Slightly more frequent in British English corpus data, but the difference is marginal.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
disappointment at/with/in/over somethingdisappointment for someonedisappointment that-clauseto someone's disappointmentVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “a bitter pill to swallow”
- “sour grapes (related, but denotes feigned indifference)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used to describe unmet sales targets, failed projects, or unsatisfactory performance reviews (e.g., 'The quarterly results were a disappointment to shareholders').
Academic
Used in discussing experimental outcomes, rejected papers, or theoretical shortcomings (e.g., 'The data's inconsistency was a profound disappointment to the research team').
Everyday
Commonly used for personal letdowns, from minor plans failing to major life events (e.g., 'The cancellation of the trip was a real disappointment').
Technical
Not typically a technical term. May appear in psychology or behavioural economics texts relating to reward prediction error.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The manager will disappoint the fans if he leaves.
- The film's ending rather disappointed us.
American English
- The product disappointed its early users.
- I hate to disappoint you, but we're out of stock.
adverb
British English
- He shook his head disappointedly.
- She looked at the results disappointingly.
American English
- He smiled disappointedly.
- The team performed disappointingly.
adjective
British English
- She gave a disappointed sigh.
- The disappointed children left the empty playground.
American English
- He had a disappointed look on his face.
- We were disappointed with the service.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I felt disappointment when it rained on my birthday.
- The film was a disappointment.
- Her disappointment was obvious when she didn't get the job.
- To our disappointment, the museum was closed.
- He tried to hide his bitter disappointment at not being selected for the team.
- The novel's predictable plot was its greatest disappointment.
- The summit ended in mutual disappointment, with neither side willing to compromise.
- She spoke with a tinge of disappointment about opportunities lost due to the pandemic.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of the word as 'DIS-APPOINT-MENT' – the feeling you get when someone or something 'dis-appoints' you, removing the 'appointment' or fulfilment you expected.
Conceptual Metaphor
DISAPPOINTMENT IS A PHYSICAL BURDEN/DOWNWARD MOTION (e.g., 'crushing disappointment', 'his spirits sank', 'a weight of disappointment').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque 'разочарование' for all contexts; it can be overly strong. For minor letdowns, 'неудача' or 'огорчение' might be closer.
- Note the countable use: 'He was a disappointment' = 'Он разочаровал (меня)', not just 'У него было разочарование'.
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling: 'dissappointment' (double 's') or 'dissapointment' (single 's', missing 'p').
- Incorrect preposition: 'disappointment of something' instead of 'disappointment at/with/over something'.
- Using as a verb: 'It disappointments me' instead of 'It disappoints me'.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is the LEAST likely collocation with 'disappointment'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, by definition it relates to unfulfilled hopes. However, it can be a mild or profound negative feeling.
Yes, it can be a countable noun meaning 'a person who disappoints' (e.g., 'He was a disappointment to his parents').
Disappointment stems specifically from unmet hopes/expectations, often with sadness. Frustration arises from being hindered or prevented from achieving a goal, often with irritation or anger.
In both UK and US English, you pronounce a clear /p/ sound. It's not silent: dis-a-POINT-ment. The stress is on the third syllable.