dismay

D2I1S1M3A1Y4
/dɪsˈmeɪ/

verb

To cause to feel apprehension; great sadness, or fear; to deprive of energy.

“He looked in dismay at the destruction of the town caused by the hurricane.”

Similar
dauntappallterrifyconsternationdiscouragementdisheartenmentalarmdepress
OriginMiddle English dismayen ← Anglo-Norman *desmaiier ← Old French esmaier →
Less commonScrabble 12
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Meanings

verbdismay (third-person singular simple present dismays, present participle dismaying, simple past and past participle dismayed)

present singular third person dismays · participle present dismaying · participle past dismayed · past dismayed

  1. To cause to feel apprehension; great sadness, or fear; to deprive of energy.

    Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed.

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Josh i:9
    1 more example

    What words be these? What fears do you dismay?

    1600, [Torquato Tasso], “(please specify |book=1 to 20)”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield, for I[saac] Iaggard and M[atthew] Lownes, →OCLC

    Synonyms: daunt, appall, terrify

  2. To render lifeless; to subdue; to disquiet.

    Do not dismay yourself for this.

    1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 40
  3. To take dismay or fright; to be filled with dismay.

    Dismay not, princes, at this accident,

    1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii], line 1
noundismay (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA sudden or complete loss of courage and firmness in the face of trouble or danger; overwhelming and disabling terror; a sinking of the spirits

    He looked in dismay at the destruction of the town caused by the hurricane.

    2 more examples

    Come on: in this there can be no dismay; My ships come home a month before the day.

    c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]

    US reputational damage is not confined to Europe. There was dismay among the G7 countries that a joint statement on tackling the pandemic could not be agreed because Trump insisted on calling it the “Wuhan virus” – his crude way of pinning sole blame on China.

    2020 April 12, Simon Tisdall, “US's global reputation hits rock-bottom over Trump's coronavirus response”, in The Guardian

    Synonyms: consternation

  2. uncountableCondition fitted to dismay; ruin.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo cause to feel apprehension; great sadness, or fear; to deprive of energy.

Similar
dauntappallterrify

nounA sudden or complete loss of courage and firmness in the face of trouble or danger; overwhelming and disabling terror; a sinking of the spirits

Similar
consternation

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe feeling of despair in the face of obstacles

Similar
discouragementdisheartenment
Broader
despair

nounfear resulting from the awareness of danger

Similar
alarmconsternation
Broader
fearfearfulnessfright

verblower someone's spirits; make downhearted

Similar
depressdejectcast downget downdispiritdemoralizedemoralise
Broader
discourage

verbfill with apprehension or alarm; cause to be unpleasantly surprised

Similar
alarmappalappallhorrify
Broader
frightenfrightscare
Also see
affrightalarmappalappallastonishmentcast downconsternationdejectdemoralizedepressdiscouragementdisheartenmentdispiritfrightenget downgive someone the shitsgrillhorrifymismovemortifypetrifyscare the hell out ofscare the shit out of

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*megʰ-“to be able”
  2. Proto-Germanic*maginą
  3. Vulgar Latin*exmagare“to deprive (someone) of strength, to disable”
  4. Old Frenchesmaier“to frighten”
  5. Anglo-Norman*desmaiier
  6. Middle Englishdismayen
  7. Englishdismay

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.

More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian уплашвам, ужасявам
  • уплашвам (uplašvam)to disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • ужасявам (užasjavam)to disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • страх (strah)a sudden loss of courage
  • смут (smut)a sudden loss of courage
Czech poděsit, děsit
  • poděsitto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • děsitto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • vyděsitto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • vystrašitto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • strašitto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • postrašitto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • ohromitto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • odraditto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • odstrašitto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • vyděsit k smrtito render lifeless
  • ochromitto render lifeless
  • ochromovatto render lifeless
  • zděšenía sudden loss of courage
  • úděsa sudden loss of courage
  • hrůzaa sudden loss of courage
  • poděšenía sudden loss of courage
  • vyděšenía sudden loss of courage
  • stracha sudden loss of courage
  • ochromenía sudden loss of courage
  • úleka sudden loss of courage
Dutch met wanhoop vervullen, laten besterven
  • met wanhoop vervullento disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • laten bestervento render lifeless
  • angstig zijnto take dismay or fright
  • teleurstellinga sudden loss of courage
Finnish tyrmistyttää, lannistaa
  • tyrmistyttääto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • lannistaato render lifeless
  • tyrmistyäto take dismay or fright
  • tyrmistysa sudden loss of courage
French affliger, mortifier
  • affligerto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • mortifierto render lifeless
  • avoir peurto take dismay or fright
  • désarroia sudden loss of courage
  • consternationa sudden loss of courage
German Furcht, Ohnmacht
  • Furchta sudden loss of courage
  • Ohnmachta sudden loss of courage
Hungarian megdöbbent, elképeszt
  • megdöbbentto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • elképesztto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • elborzasztto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • megrémítto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • megrémisztto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • megijesztto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • döbbeneta sudden loss of courage
  • megdöbbenésa sudden loss of courage
  • megrökönyödésa sudden loss of courage
  • elképedésa sudden loss of courage
Irish anfais, anbhá
  • anfaisa sudden loss of courage
  • anbháa sudden loss of courage
Italian abbattere, abbattersi
  • abbattereto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • abbattersito disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • mortificareto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • mortificarsito disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • scoraggiareto render lifeless
  • scoraggiarsito render lifeless
  • mortificarsito render lifeless
  • sbigottimentoa sudden loss of courage
  • costernazionea sudden loss of courage
  • smarrimentoa sudden loss of courage
Japanese 狼狽
  • 狼狽 (rōbai)a sudden loss of courage
Korean 놀라다, 경악하다
  • 놀라다 (nollada)to disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • 경악하다 (gyeong'akhada)to disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • 놀람 (nollam)a sudden loss of courage
  • 경악 (gyeong'ak)a sudden loss of courage
  • 실망 (silmang)a sudden loss of courage
Māori pororaru, pororaru
  • pororaruto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • pororarua sudden loss of courage
Polish przerażenie
  • przerażeniea sudden loss of courage
Portuguese assombrar, espanto
  • assombrarto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • espantoa sudden loss of courage
Romanian desperare, spaimă
  • desperarea sudden loss of courage
  • spaimăa sudden loss of courage
Russian ужаса́ть, ужасну́ть
  • ужаса́ть (užasátʹ)to disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • ужасну́ть (užasnútʹ)to disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • трево́жить (trevóžitʹ)to disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • встрево́жить (vstrevóžitʹ)to disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • страх (strax)a sudden loss of courage
  • уны́ние (unýnije)a sudden loss of courage
  • испу́г (ispúg)a sudden loss of courage
Slovak ohromiť, ohromenie
  • ohromiťto disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • ohromeniea sudden loss of courage
  • údesa sudden loss of courage
  • zhrozeniea sudden loss of courage
Spanish espanto, estupefacción
  • espantoa sudden loss of courage
  • estupefaccióna sudden loss of courage
  • consternacióna sudden loss of courage
Swedish förskräcka, förfära
  • förskräckato disable with alarm or apprehensions
  • förfärato disable with alarm or apprehensions
Turkish ödünü koparmak
  • ödünü koparmakto disable with alarm or apprehensions

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with dismay

amaymedayrewaytodaykjlasayplayzpayawaydisplaystaybayoksurveyleDJraylingerie
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

dismay. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dismay

MLA

“dismay.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dismay. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dismay,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dismay.

Source: dismay on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.