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dismay meaning and examples

2025-08-24

Meaning

Dismay refers to a strong feeling of worry, disappointment, or shock. As a verb, it means to cause someone to feel such emotions.

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: Noun / Verb
  • Noun usage: Much to her dismay, the train was canceled.
  • Verb usage: The news dismayed everyone in the room.

Common Phrases

  • to one’s dismay – to someone’s disappointment or shock
  • express dismay – to show feelings of shock or unhappiness
  • look of dismay – facial expression showing disappointment or fear

Collocations

  • great dismay
  • utter dismay
  • dismay at the news
  • dismay over the decision
  • dismay among the crowd

Examples

  1. To his dismay, the project was canceled.
  2. The teacher looked at the messy classroom in dismay.
  3. She expressed her dismay at the sudden changes.
  4. The fans watched in dismay as their team lost the game.
  5. His careless comment filled her with dismay.
  6. Much to our dismay, the event was postponed.
  7. The announcement dismayed the employees.
  • Shock
  • Alarm
  • Distress
  • Disappointment
  • Sadness
  • Apprehension