disappointing

adjective

dis·​ap·​point·​ing ˌdis-ə-ˈpȯin-tiŋ How to pronounce disappointing (audio)
Synonyms of disappointingnext
: failing to meet expectations
a disappointing meal
disappointingly
ˌdis-ə-ˈpȯin-tiŋ-lē How to pronounce disappointing (audio)
adverb

Examples of disappointing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Both are coming off disappointing seasons but have strong stuff. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026 The trade of Levi is a disappointing outcome to a career that started with a lot of promise. — Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 2 July 2026 The Green Bay Packers were arguably the most disappointing team in football last year. — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 Following the disappointing launch of Llama 4 last year, Meta went on an AI hiring spree, spending tens of millions to poach people from its rivals. — Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for disappointing

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of disappointing was in 1530

Rhymes for disappointing

See All Rhymes for disappointing

Browse Nearby Words

disappointed
disappointing
disappointment
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Disappointing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disappointing. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on disappointing

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for disappointing

Nglish: Translation of disappointing for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All