Disappoint is spelled with two sibilant sounds, /dɪsəˈpɔɪnt/. The first sound is a voiced dental fricative /ð/, followed by the unstressed schwa sound /ə/. The second sound is an unvoiced alveolar fricative /s/, followed by the stressed diphthong /əʊ/ and ending with the unvoiced alveolar plosive /t/. The base word is "appoint," meaning "to assign a task or position," while the prefix "dis-" adds a negative connotation, meaning "to fail to meet expectations."
Disappoint is a verb that refers to the feeling or act of not fulfilling someone's expectations or hopes. When someone or something disappoints, it causes a sense of dissatisfaction or disillusionment in the person affected.
To disappoint can be used in various contexts, covering both personal and impersonal disappointments. For example, a friend who cancels plans at the last minute can disappoint someone who was looking forward to spending time with them. Similarly, a movie or book that does not live up to the anticipation or excitement it generated can be described as disappointing.
The term disappoint often carries a sense of letdown or failure, suggesting that something or someone did not meet the desired standard or outcome. This feeling of disappointment is often accompanied by negative emotions such as sadness, frustration, or anger. However, disappointments can also serve as opportunities for personal growth and reflection.
In summary, disappoint is a verb used to express the act or feeling of not meeting someone's expectations or hopes. It can refer to a range of situations, from interpersonal relationships to the evaluation of products, performances, or events.
To defeat expectation; to frustrate; to foil; to balk; to hinder from possession or enjoyment.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word disappoint originated from the Old French term desapointer which was a combination of the prefix des- (meaning away or apart) and the verb appointer (meaning to point, mark out, or fix). Essentially, disappoint originally meant to remove from a previously appointed or expected position or outcome. Over time, this evolved to the modern meaning of to fail to fulfill someone's hopes or expectations.