DISMAY

alarm, dismay, consternation

(noun) fear resulting from the awareness of danger

discouragement, disheartenment, dismay

(noun) the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles

dismay, alarm, appal, appall, horrify

(verb) fill with apprehension or alarm; cause to be unpleasantly surprised; “I was horrified at the thought of being late for my interview”; “The news of the executions horrified us”

depress, deject, cast down, get down, dismay, dispirit, demoralize, demoralise

(verb) lower someone’s spirits; make downhearted; “These news depressed her”; “The bad state of her child’s health demoralizes her”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Verb

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

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

Synonyms: daunt, appall, terrify

To render lifeless; to subdue; to disquiet.

To take dismay or fright; to be filled with dismay.

Noun

dismay (uncountable)

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

Synonym: consternation

Condition fitted to dismay; ruin.

Anagrams

• yidams

Source: Wiktionary


Dis*may", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dismayed; p. pr. & vb. n. Dismaying.] Etym: [OE. desmaien, dismaien, OF. esmaier; pref. es- (L. ex) + OHG. magan to be strong or able; akin to E. may. In English the pref. es- was changed to dis- (L. dis-). See May, v. i.]

1. To disable with alarm or apprehensions; to depress the spirits or courage of; to deprive or firmness and energy through fear; to daunt; to appall; to terrify. Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. Josh. i. 9. What words be these What fears do you dismay Fairfax.

2. To render lifeless; to subdue; to disquiet. [Obs.] Do not dismay yourself for this. Spenser.

Syn.

– To terrify; fright; affright; frighten; appall; daunt; dishearthen; dispirit; discourage; deject; depress.

– To Dismay, Daunt, Appall. Dismay denotes a state of deep and gloomy apprehension. To daunt supposes something more sudden and startling. To appall is the strongest term, implying a sense of terror which overwhelms the faculties. So flies a herd of beeves, that hear, dismayed, The lions roaring through the midnight shade. Pope. Jove got such heroes as my sire, whose soul No fear could daunt, nor earth nor hell control. Pope. Now the last ruin the whole host appalls; Now Greece has trembled in her wooden walls. Pope.

Dis*may", v. i.

Definition: To take dismay or fright; to be filled with dismay. [Obs.] Shak.

Dis*may", n. Etym: [Cf. OF. esmai, F. Ă©moi. See Dismay, v. t.]

1. Loss of courage and firmness through fear; overwhelming and disabling terror; a sinking of the spirits; consternation. I . . . can not think of such a battle without dismay. Macaulay. Thou with a tiger spring dost leap upon thy prey, And tear his helpless breast, o'erwhelmed with wild dismay. Mrs. Barbauld.

2. Condition fitted to dismay; ruin. Spenser.

Syn.

– Dejection; discouragement; depression; fear; fright; terror; apprehension; alarm; affright.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

24 January 2025

AGITATION

(noun) a state of agitation or turbulent change or development; “the political ferment produced new leadership”; “social unrest”


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