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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Disappoint Definition, Examples, and Usage (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：let someone down (disappoint)

disappoint 🔊

/ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪnt/

to make someone feel sad because something is not as good as they expected, or someone didn't do what they promised.

Disappointed student looking at crumpled exam paper on park bench

let someone down 🔊

➕

/lɛt ˈsʌmwʌn daʊn/

To make another person feel unhappy or sad because something was not as good as they expected, or because you did not do what you promised.

📁 Category：Physical & Mental Health 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

dis- (away/not) + appoint (to fix/arrange); originally meant to remove from an appointment.

💡 Mnemonic

Dis + appoint = a canceled appointment brings sadness; think of a missed party you were excited for.

📖 Example

I don't want to disappoint my parents by missing the concert after they bought the tickets. 🔊 I don't want to let my parents down by missing the concert after they bought the tickets.

🔗 Collocations

disappoint someone – to cause someone to feel let down

disappointed in – feeling sad or dissatisfied with someone or something

deeply disappointed – very strongly let down

🔄 Synonyms

let down (v.) – to fail to support or help someone as expected; to cause disappointment

fail (v.) – to not succeed in doing something expected or required

displease (v.) – to make someone annoyed or unhappy

🚫 Antonyms

please (v.) – to make someone happy or satisfied

satisfy (v.) – to meet someone's expectations or desires

delight (v.) – to give great pleasure or joy

🌱 Derivatives

disappointment (n.) – the feeling of sadness when hopes are not fulfilled

disappointed (adj.) – feeling sad because something did not happen as expected

disappointing (adj.) – causing disappointment

📖 Cultural Story

From Old French 'desappointer' (to remove from office). The sense shifted to 'fail expectations' in the 16th century. Today, it's heavily used in marketing contexts, e.g., 'product disappoints customers'.

Meaning 2：fall short of expectations (disappoint)

disappoint 🔊

/ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪnt/

To fail to meet hopes or expectations, often referring to results, plans, or predictions.

Person sad over cancelled flight ticket on packed suitcase

fall short of expectations 🔊

➕

/fɔːl ʃɔːrt ʌv ˌɛkspɛkˈteɪʃənz/

To not achieve the level of success or performance that was hoped for or predicted, often referring to outcomes, numbers, or benchmarks.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

The company's new product launch disappointed market expectations, with sales figures far below projections. 🔊 The company's new product launch failed to meet market expectations, with sales figures far below projections.

🔗 Collocations

disappoint expectations – to fail to meet what was anticipated

disappoint investors – to cause investors to feel let down by poor results

disappointing results – outcomes that are worse than predicted

🔄 Synonyms

fail (v.) – to be unsuccessful in achieving a desired outcome

underperform (v.) – to perform worse than expected or required

fall short (v.) – to fail to reach a desired standard or target

🚫 Antonyms

exceed (v.) – to go beyond what is expected

surpass (v.) – to do better than expected

meet expectations (v.) – to achieve what was anticipated

🌱 Derivatives

disappointment (n.) – a situation where expectations are not met

disappointed (adj.) – feeling let down by an outcome

disappointing (adj.) – causing a failure to meet hopes