DISCONTENT Synonyms: 121 Similar and Opposite Words

discontent 1 of 3

adjective

ˌdis-kən-ˈtent

Definition of discontent

as in dissatisfied

having a feeling that one has been wronged or thwarted in one's ambitions a novel about a woman who is desperately discontent with the stifling limitations of her small-town life

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discontent

2 of 3

noun

as in dissatisfaction

the condition of being dissatisfied with one's life or situation the rebels worked to stir up discontent among the citizens

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discontent

3 of 3

verb

as in to displease

to make discontented the ongoing lack of decent food discontented and demoralized the soldiers in the rebel army

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of discontent

Adjective

Brown, who will miss Week 8 with a hamstring injury, still seems somewhat discontent over his usage. — Mike Jones, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025 Aside from the geopolitical wrangling over the event, there has been discontent surrounding the summit from many in South Africa. — NPR, 21 Nov. 2025

Noun

Army of Shadows doesn’t have a TX but the team will be keen to get it out quickly in order to tap into a local and global feeling of political discontent. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 3 July 2026 Putin said a task force was working to alleviate the issue, which has grown into a serious crisis as the Kremlin grapples with simmering discontent on a range of issues. — Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 29 June 2026

Verb

Despite his level-headedness, Mike is mightily discontent with the low-wattage gigs that are arranged for him by, of all people, his dentist (Fisher Stevens), who soon replaces that absent tooth. — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026 In other posts, Minaj criticized Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez, nodding to discontent between her and the label. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for discontent

Recent Examples of Synonyms for discontent

Adjective

Inflation is a sore spot for Americans, who are growing more dissatisfied with the economy, according to polls and consumer surveys.

— Steve Kopack, NBC news, 1 July 2026
Gen Zers are even more dissatisfied with their opportunities, Blanchflower says, amid factors like underemployment, the Covid-19 pandemic, war, trade tariffs, artificial intelligence, automation and job-hugging.

— Jennifer Liu Ashton Jackson, CNBC, 29 June 2026

Definition of dissatisfied

Noun

The party has focused on driving down consumer costs, seizing on what polling shows is deep dissatisfaction about the economy and worries about affordability.

— Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 5 July 2026
The mass demonstrations delayed AfD's vote, prompting Chrupalla to criticize the method in which agitators expressed their dissatisfaction.

— Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026

Definition of dissatisfaction

Verb

Bad Bunny clearly saw something that displeased him on center court.

— Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026
Some customers on social media are understandably displeased by the news, with users on sites like Reddit promoting physical copies as the best way to permanently own media.

— Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 27 June 2026

Definition of displease

Adjective

Djokovic became so frustrated that he was given a code violation warning for smashing a racket, before eventually hauling himself over the line.

— Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Keli Gonzalez, a painter the museum commissioned, became frustrated by the lack of female representation.

— Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 3 July 2026

Definition of frustrated

Verb

After a series of coups by officers dissatisfied with lagging counterterrorism efforts, juntas in the three countries booted France altogether, establishing close ties with Russia instead.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 10 May 2026
When Iranian leaders moved to cut spending on subsidies that help Iranians afford basic essentials, thousands of protesters already dissatisfied with Iran’s political leadership finally took to the streets.

— Shooka Bidarian, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026

Definition of dissatisfy

Verb

Paraguay’s tactics, seeking to frustrate and disrupt France, had annoyed Henry as well as the current team and coach.

— Stuart James, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Others are annoyed that its ambiguous language will create confusion over how — or if — the state will enforce compliance.

— Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 27 June 2026

Definition of annoy

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“Discontent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discontent. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of discontent

adjective

noun

verb

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