dismay

English

Etymology

From Middle English dismayen, from Anglo-Norman *desmaiier, alteration of Old French esmaier (“to frighten”), probably from Vulgar Latin *exmagare (“to deprive (someone) of strength, to disable”), from ex- + *magare (“to enable, empower”), from Proto-Germanic *maginą, *maganą (“might, power”), from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ- (“to be able”).

Akin to Old High German magan, megin (“power, might, main”), Old English mæġen (“might, main”), Old High German magan, mugan (“to be powerful, able”), Old English magan (“to be able”). Cognate with Portuguese desmaiar (“to faint”) and Spanish esmayar. See also Portuguese esmagar, Spanish amagar. More at main, may.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɪsˈmeɪ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪ

Verb

dismay (third-person singular simple present dismays, present participle dismaying, simple past and past participle dismayed)

1. To cause to feel apprehension; great sadness, or fear; to deprive of energy

   Synonyms: daunt, appall, terrify

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Josh i:9:

     Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed.

   • 1600, [Torquato Tasso], “(please specify |book=1 to 20)”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield, for I[saac] Iaggard and M[atthew] Lownes, →OCLC:

     What words be these? What fears do you dismay?

2. To render lifeless; to subdue; to disquiet.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 40:

     Do not dismay yourself for this.

3. To take dismay or fright; to be filled with dismay.
   • 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii], line 1:

     Dismay not, princes, at this accident,

Translations

to disable with alarm or apprehensions

• Bulgarian: уплашвам (bg) (uplašvam), ужасявам (bg) (užasjavam)
• Czech: poděsit pf, děsit (cs) impf, vyděsit (cs) pf, vystrašit, strašit (cs) impf, postrašit pf, ohromit (cs) pf, odradit (cs) pf, odstrašit pf
• Dutch: met wanhoop vervullen
• Finnish: tyrmistyttää (fi)
• French: affliger (fr)
• Hungarian: megdöbbent (hu), elképeszt (hu), elborzaszt (hu), megrémít (hu), megrémiszt (hu), megijeszt (hu)
• Italian: abbattere (it), abbattersi (it), mortificare (it), mortificarsi (it)
• Korean: 놀라다 (ko) (nollada), 경악하다 (ko) (gyeong'akhada)
• Maori: pororaru
• Portuguese: assombrar (pt)
• Russian: ужаса́ть (ru) impf (užasátʹ), ужасну́ть (ru) pf (užasnútʹ), трево́жить (ru) impf (trevóžitʹ), встрево́жить (ru) pf (vstrevóžitʹ)
• Slovak: ohromiť
• Turkish: ödünü koparmak (tr) (idiomatic)
• Vietnamese: ^{(please verify)} làm mất tinh thần, ^{(please verify)} làm mất hết can đảm

to render lifeless

• Czech: vyděsit k smrti, ochromit (cs) pf, ochromovat impf
• Dutch: laten besterven
• Finnish: lannistaa (fi)
• French: mortifier (fr)
• Italian: scoraggiare (it), scoraggiarsi, mortificarsi (it)

to take dismay or fright

• Czech: zhrozit se (cs) pf, zděsit se pf, vyděsit se pf
• Dutch: angstig zijn
• Finnish: tyrmistyä (fi)
• French: avoir peur (fr)

Noun

dismay (uncountable)

1. 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

   Synonym: consternation

   He looked in dismay at the destruction of the town caused by the hurricane.

   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:

     Come on: in this there can be no dismay;
     My ships come home a month before the day.

   • 2020 April 12, Simon Tisdall, “US's global reputation hits rock-bottom over Trumpov's coronavirus response”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     US reputational damage is not confined to Europe. There was dismay among the G7 countries that a joint statement on tackling the pandemic could not be agreed because Trumpov insisted on calling it the “Wuhan virus” – his crude way of pinning sole blame on China.

2. Condition fitted to dismay; ruin.

Translations

a sudden loss of courage

• Bulgarian: страх (bg) m (strah), смут (bg) m (smut)
• Czech: zděšení n, úděs m, hrůza (cs) f, poděšení n, vyděšení n, strach (cs) m, ochromení n, úlek (cs) m
• Dutch: teleurstelling (nl)
• Finnish: tyrmistys (fi)
• French: désarroi (fr) m, consternation (fr) f
• German: Furcht (de) f, Ohnmacht (de) f
• Hungarian: döbbenet (hu), megdöbbenés (hu), megrökönyödés (hu), elképedés (hu)
• Irish: anfais f, anbhá m
• Italian: sbigottimento (it) m, costernazione (it) f, smarrimento (it) m
• Japanese: 狼狽 (ja) (ろうばい, rōbai)
• Korean: 놀람 (nollam), 경악 (ko) (gyeong'ak), 실망 (ko) (silmang)
• Maori: pororaru
• Polish: przerażenie (pl) n
• Portuguese: espanto (pt) m
• Romanian: desperare (ro) f, spaimă (ro) f
• Russian: страх (ru) m (strax), уны́ние (ru) n (unýnije), испу́г (ru) m (ispúg)
• Slovak: ohromenie n, údes m, zhrozenie n
• Spanish: espanto (es) m, estupefacción (es) f, consternación (es) f
• Vietnamese: ^{(please verify)} sự mất hết tinh thần, ^{(please verify)} sự mất hết can đảm

Derived terms

• dismayer
• dismayful
• undismayable

Anagrams

• yidams