Etymologically
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disappointment

Etymology and origin of the English word disappointment

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1604
Borrowed from
French désappointement
Ultimate origin
English (disappoint)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌdɪs.əˈpɔɪnt.mənt/[1]

Etymology

It is either borrowed from French désappointement or a native formation from disappoint and -ment.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The frustration or failure of a hope or expectation: 1604 in Merriam-Webster,[3] 1614 in the OED, the 1610s in Etymonline.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

The feeling of being disappointed is from 1756,[4][2] and a person or thing that disappoints from 1756 in Etymonline, 1765 in the OED.[2][4]

Timeline

  • 1604 – frustration of hope.[3]
  • 1756 – the feeling of being disappointed.[4][2]
  • 1765 – a thing that disappoints.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The feeling of sadness when a hope or expectation is not met.
  2. The act of disappointing.
  3. A person or thing that disappoints.

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Disappointment.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/disappointment. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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