dismay Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
    discouragement; disheartenment.
  2. noun fear resulting from the awareness of danger
    alarm; consternation.
  3. verb lower someone's spirits; make downhearted
    depress; dispirit; deject; demoralise; get down; cast down; demoralize.
    • These news depressed her
    • The bad state of her child's health demoralizes her
  4. verb fill with apprehension or alarm; cause to be unpleasantly surprised
    horrify; alarm; appall; appal.
    • I was horrified at the thought of being late for my interview
    • The news of the executions horrified us

WordNet

Dis*may" transitive verb
Etymology
OE. desmaien, dismaien, OF. esmaier; pref. es- (L. ex) + OHG. magan to be strong or able; akin to E. may. In English the pref. es- was changed to dis- (L. dis-). See May, v. i.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Dismayed ; present participle & verbal noun Dismaying
Definitions
  1. To disable with alarm or apprehensions; to depress the spirits or courage of; to deprive or firmness and energy through fear; to daunt; to appall; to terrify.
    Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. Josh. i. 9.
    What words be these? What fears do you dismay? Fairfax.
  2. To render lifeless; to subdue; to disquiet. Obs.
    Do not dismay yourself for this. Spenser.
    Syn. -- To terrify; fright; affright; frighten; appall; daunt; dishearthen; dispirit; discourage; deject; depress. -- To Dismay, Daunt, Appall. Dismay denotes a state of deep and gloomy apprehension. To daunt supposes something more sudden and startling. To appall is the strongest term, implying a sense of terror which overwhelms the faculties.
    So flies a herd of beeves, that hear, dismayed, The lions roaring through the midnight shade. Pope.
    Jove got such heroes as my sire, whose soul No fear could daunt, nor earth nor hell control. Pope.
    Now the last ruin the whole host appalls; Now Greece has trembled in her wooden walls. Pope.
Dis*may" intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To take dismay or fright; to be filled with dismay. Obs. Shak.
Dis*may" noun
Etymology
Cf. OF. esmai, F. émoi. See Dismay, v. t.
Definitions
  1. Loss of courage and firmness through fear; overwhelming and disabling terror; a sinking of the spirits; consternation.
    I . . . can not think of such a battle without dismay. Macaulay.
    Thou with a tiger spring dost leap upon thy prey, And tear his helpless breast, o'erwhelmed with wild dismay. Mrs. Barbauld.
  2. Condition fitted to dismay; ruin. Spenser. Syn. -- Dejection; discouragement; depression; fear; fright; terror; apprehension; alarm; affright.

Webster 1913