What does crestfallen mean?
Crestfallen is an adjective used to describe someone who is visibly disappointed, dejected, or dispirited, usually in the aftermath of a specific failure, defeat, or rebuff. A person who loses a contest, misses out on a promotion, or receives bad news may be said to leave the room looking crestfallen. The word suggests more than ordinary sadness: it evokes a deflated, downcast bearing, as though the person's pride or spirits had suddenly collapsed. It appears frequently in journalism and fiction to convey a subject's reaction without lengthy explanation — a single phrase such as "she looked crestfallen" communicates the emotional moment economically. The tone of the word is generally sympathetic; it invites the reader's compassion rather than ridicule. Because it points to a concrete cause and an observable demeanor, crestfallen remains one of the most vivid and widely understood ways to describe everyday disappointment in English.
adjectiveDisappointed and dejected, especially after a failure, defeat, or setback; having a downcast, deflated manner.
- Showing disappointment and dejection after a failure or defeat; visibly downcast.
"She returned from the interview crestfallen, certain she had failed."
"He was crestfallen when his team lost in the final seconds."
"The rejected applicant gave the panel a crestfallen smile before leaving."
"Crestfallen" literally pictures someone whose crest — the proud plume on a helmet or the comb of a bird — has drooped: their visible sign of pride has fallen.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of crestfallen
Crestfallen combines "crest," meaning the comb of a bird or the plume atop a helmet, with "fallen," and dates from the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century. Its imagery draws on the heraldic crest, the emblem of pride and rank worn on armor, so the fallen crest suggests collapsed pride or dignity. The word belongs entirely to English formation, built from native elements rather than borrowed roots, though "crest" itself traces through Old French "creste" from Latin "crista."
How crestfallen is actually used
Crestfallen is almost always used predicatively or attributively about people (or occasionally animals) and carries a sympathetic rather than mocking connotation. It is common in both formal and informal writing and typically implies an external cause — a rejection, loss, or rebuff — rather than general sadness.
Easily confused with crestfallen
"Deflated" emphasizes a sudden loss of confidence or excitement, while "crestfallen" stresses the downcast look or demeanor that follows disappointment or failure.