adjectiveother

enttäuscht

disappointed · disappoint

So fühlt man sich, wenn etwas nicht so gut läuft, wie man gehofft oder erwartet hat, und man traurig oder unzufrieden ist.

Definition & meaning

The word enttäuscht primarily means disappointed. It describes a feeling of sadness, dissatisfaction, or frustration that arises when expectations, hopes, or desires are not met.

It can be used in various contexts:

Personal feelings: Feeling let down by a person or a situation.
Quality: Being dissatisfied with the performance or quality of an object or service.
Expectations: When an outcome is worse than what was anticipated.

Grammar & Word origin

Grammatically, enttäuscht serves as an adjective, but it is also the past participle (Partizip II) of the verb enttäuschen. When used as an adjective, it can be declined according to the noun it modifies (e.g., ein enttäuschter Kunde).

The word origin is particularly interesting. It is composed of the prefix ent-, which often denotes the removal or reversal of something, and the verb täuschen, which means to deceive. Literally, to be "enttäuscht" means to be "undeceived." It implies that a person was previously under an illusion or a false belief (a deception), and that this illusion has now been removed, revealing a less desirable reality.