disgruntle

verb

dis·​grun·​tle dis-ˈgrən-tᵊl 

disgruntled; disgruntling dis-ˈgrənt-liŋ 

-ˈgrən-tᵊl-iŋ

transitive verb

: to make ill-humored or discontented

—usually used as a participial adjective

they were a very disgruntled crew

—Flannery O'Connor

angry letters from disgruntled readers

disgruntlement

dis-ˈgrən-tᵊl-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• alien
• alienate
• disaffect
• estrange
• sour

Examples of disgruntle in a Sentence

an employee, disgruntled by the restaurant owner's shabby treatment, turned him in to the IRS

a crew disgruntled by a long voyage that provided no opportunity for recreation onshore

Recent Examples on the Web

After the segment, the Daily Beast reported that staff at CNN were disgruntled by Lemon’s comments and that several had complained internally. —Shannon Larson, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Feb. 2023

Atlanta could look to flip either John Collins or Dejounte Murray in order to recoup some draft capital from the Murray trade, and while no such demand has arisen yet, there seems to be at least one disgruntled All-Star looking to be moved each offseason. —Michael Shapiro, Chron, 16 May 2023

The prince was then also photographed on the Buckingham Palace balcony following the Trooping the Colour parade looking disgruntled with the loud noises emitted from the special airplane show. —Harper's BAZAAR, 8 May 2023

Fans have been disgruntled with owner John Fisher, citing the lack of upkeep at the stadium, which the A's have played in since 1968, and also the lack of commitment to build the team. —Victoria Hernandez, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2023

Word History

Etymology

dis- + gruntle to grumble, from Middle English gruntlen, frequentative of grunten to grunt

First Known Use

1682, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

disgruntle

verb

dis·​grun·​tle dis-ˈgrənt-ᵊl 

disgruntled; disgruntling -ˈgrənt-liŋ 

-ᵊl-iŋ

: to put in a bad mood

disgruntlement

-ᵊl-mənt 

noun