What does disappoint mean?
"Disappoint" is a transitive verb meaning to fail to fulfil someone's hopes or expectations, or to thwart a hope or plan from being realized. It can describe the effect of people ("he disappointed his parents"), things ("the sequel disappointed fans"), or circumstances ("bad weather disappointed the organisers"). The word carries an inherently negative emotional connotation, implying a gap between what was anticipated and what occurred, and it frequently appears in the passive form "be disappointed," often followed by "with," "in," "by," or an infinitive. Its derived forms — the adjective "disappointed," describing a person let down, and "disappointing," describing the thing that causes the feeling, along with the noun "disappointment" — make it a versatile part of everyday emotional vocabulary. First recorded in English in the late sixteenth century, it derives from Old French "desapointer" and ultimately from Latin roots relating to appointing or arranging, giving it a long history of describing hopes that go unmet.
verbTo fail to fulfil the hopes or expectations of someone, or to prevent a hope or plan from being realized.
- To fail to satisfy someone's hopes or expectations (of a person, thing, or outcome).
- To frustrate or prevent the realization of a hope, plan, or intention.
"The film's ending disappointed critics who had expected a masterpiece."
"She was disappointed to learn that the concert had been cancelled."
"The team's poor performance disappointed their loyal supporters once again."
It literally means to "un-appoint" — when you disappoint someone, you undo the appointment their hopes had made with reality.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of disappoint
The verb "disappoint" entered English in the late sixteenth century from Middle French "desapointer," itself built on "apointer" (to arrange or settle). The prefix dis- conveys negation or reversal, so the word originally carried the sense of removing an arrangement — hence its early meaning of frustrating a plan or intention. It shares this French and ultimately Latin-derived lineage with words such as "appoint" and "point," all tracing back through Late Latin "punctare," from "punctum," meaning a point.
Related word forms
How disappoint is actually used
Standard in both formal and informal registers. "Disappointed in" typically applies to a person's behaviour or character, while "disappointed with" and "disappointed by" are more common for things, events, or outcomes. Often intensified with adverbs such as "deeply," "bitterly," or "genuinely."
Easily confused with disappoint
"Disappoint" means failing to meet someone's hopes or expectations, while "disapprove" means to hold an unfavourable opinion of something or someone.