Lexic.us

Definition of Dismay

1. Noun. The feeling of despair in the face of obstacles.

2. Verb. Lower someone's spirits; make downhearted. "The performance is likely to dismay Sue"; "The bad state of her child's health demoralizes her"

3. Noun. Fear resulting from the awareness of danger.

4. Verb. Fill with apprehension or alarm; cause to be unpleasantly surprised. "The bad news will dismay him"; "The news of the executions horrified us"

Definition of Dismay

1. v. t. 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.

2. v. i. To take dismay or fright; to be filled with dismay.

3. n. Loss of courage and firmness through fear; overwhelming and disabling terror; a sinking of the spirits; consternation.

Definition of Dismay

1. Noun. A sudden or complete loss of courage and firmness in the face of trouble or danger; overwhelming and disabling terror; a sinking of the spirits; consternation. ¹

2. Noun. Condition fitted to dismay; ruin. ¹

3. Verb. To disable with alarm or apprehensions; to depress the spirits or courage of; to deprive of firmness and energy through fear; to daunt; to appall; to terrify. ¹

4. Verb. To render lifeless; to subdue; to disquiet. ¹

5. Verb. To take dismay or fright; to be filled with dismay. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Dismay

1. to deprive of courage or resolution [v -ED, -ING, -S]

Medical Definition of Dismay

1. 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. "Do not dismay yourself for this." (Spenser) Synonym: 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) Origin: 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. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Dismay

dismarches dismarching dismarried dismarries dismarry dismarrying dismask dismasked dismasking dismasks

dismast dismasted dismasting dismastment dismasts dismay (current term) dismayd dismayed dismayedness dismayful

dismaying dismayingly dismayl dismayled dismayls dismays disme dismember dismembered dismemberer

Literary usage of Dismay

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The History of England from the Accession of James II by Thomas Babington Macaulay Macaulay, Henry Hart Milman (1865)
"His arrival spread dismay through the whole English dismay of population. Clarendon was accompanied, or speedily ..."

2. The Complete Works of Gustave Flaubert: Embracing Romances, Travels by Gustave Flaubert, Ferdinand Brunetière (1904)
"... a feeling of dismay. He tried to repeat some verses to himself, to enter on a calculation, no matter of what sort, to invent some kind of story. ..."

3. The history of England from the accession of James the second by Thomas Babington Macaulay (1877)
"Among the Jacobites the dismay was great. Some of those who had betted deep on the constancy of Lewis took flight. One unfortunate ... zealot ot divine ..."

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