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# dismay

«dismay» in Mova's school dictionary: **a sudden sad, worried feeling when something bad or…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 4 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (dismay — uncountable); verb (dismay, dismays, dismayed, dismaying); adjective dismayed

### meaning for a pupil

1) Dismay is a sudden sad, worried feeling when something bad or disappointing happens. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dismay/#m1)

2) To dismay someone is to make them feel shocked and upset. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dismay/#m2)

3) (formal) To someone's dismay means «and they were upset that». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dismay/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

A feelings word in stories: it tells the reader a character has just had bad news or a nasty surprise, often with a falling heart. In news and formal writing «to the dismay of fans». Phrases: in dismay, to my dismay, filled with dismay, dismayed by.

### examples

- To my dismay, the ice cream van had gone. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dismay/#x1)
- She stared in dismay at the broken vase. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dismay/#x2)
- The rain dismayed everyone at the sports day. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dismay/#x3)
- He was dismayed to find his homework was missing. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dismay/#x4)
- The fans groaned in dismay as the ball hit the post. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dismay/#x5)
- Much to our dismay, the trip was cancelled. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dismay/#x6)
- The teacher was dismayed by the mess in the classroom. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dismay/#x7)
- But I have eaten it!” exclaimed the baker in dismay. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dismay/#x8)

### note

Dismay is uncountable (no «a dismay»). Dismayed is used with «by», «at» or «to + verb». It is stronger than disappointment but weaker than horror. Not a «dis-» opposite of «may».

### In the corpora

- [And when Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/jps/1SA.462/)
- [And they shall be dismayed and ashamed, because of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/jps/ISA.414/)
- [For through the voice of the LORD shall Asshur be dismayed, the rod with which He smote.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/jps/ISA.649/)
- [In his neck abideth strength, and dismay danceth before him.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/JOB.1145/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «dismay» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dismay/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.