What does chagrined mean?
"Chagrined" describes the particular blend of embarrassment, disappointment, and self-reproach that follows a setback or public misstep. A person who misspells a word in a published article, loses an argument they were sure of winning, or arrives late to their own presentation is likely to feel chagrined — not devastated, but distinctly stung. The adjective derives from the noun "chagrin," which entered English from French in the seventeenth century and denotes vexation arising from failure or humiliation. Today "chagrined" functions chiefly as an adjective describing people, though it can also describe expressions or tones that betray such feelings, as in a chagrined laugh or a chagrined apology. It carries a formal, literary flavor and appears frequently in fiction, biography, and polished prose. Its closest companions are "embarrassed" and "mortified," but unlike simple embarrassment, being chagrined usually involves frustration at one's own error as much as shame before others.
adjectiveFeeling or showing distress or embarrassment caused by failure, disappointment, or humiliation.
- Feeling distress or embarrassment at having failed or been humiliated.
- (Of a look, tone, or manner) expressing such distress or embarrassment.
"She was chagrined to discover her carefully prepared slides had never been loaded onto the projector."
"He was visibly chagrined when his joke fell flat in front of the entire board."
"She gave him a chagrined smile and admitted she had forgotten his name."
English borrowed "chagrin" from French, where it may have originally referred to a rough, grating leather — a fitting image for an emotion that rubs you raw.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chagrined
"Chagrined" is the participial adjective of the verb "chagrin," which English borrowed from French in the early seventeenth century. The French noun "chagrin" means sorrow or vexation, and its ultimate origin is disputed; one influential theory links it to "chagrine," a term for rough-grained leather (related to English "shagreen"), suggesting the sense of something that grates or irritates. From the noun came a verb meaning "to cause vexation to," whose past participle gives the modern adjective.
Related word forms
How chagrined is actually used
"Chagrined" sits in a formal-to-neutral register and is common in written narrative and journalism. It implies a mild-to-moderate mortification rather than deep shame, often mixed with annoyance at oneself. In American English the stress typically falls on the second syllable (/ʃəˈɡrɪnd/), while British English more often stresses the first (/ˈʃæɡrɪnd/).
Easily confused with chagrined
"Chagrin" is the noun or base verb naming the feeling itself, while "chagrined" is its adjective form describing someone who feels it.