Dismaying

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Dismay \Dis*may"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Dismayed}; p. pr. & vb.
     n. {Dismaying}.] [OE. desmaien, dismaien, OF. esmaier; pref.
     es- (L. ex) + OHG. magan to be strong or able; akin to E.
     may. In English the pref. es- was changed to dis- (L. dis-).
     See {May}, v. i.]
     1. To disable with alarm or apprehensions; to depress the


        spirits or courage of; to deprive or firmness and energy
        through fear; to daunt; to appall; to terrify.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. --Josh. i.
                                                    9.
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              What words be these? What fears do you dismay?
                                                    --Fairfax.
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     2. To render lifeless; to subdue; to disquiet. [Obs.]
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              Do not dismay yourself for this.      --Spenser.
  
     Syn: To terrify; fright; affright; frighten; appall; daunt;
          dishearthen; dispirit; discourage; deject; depress. --
          To {Dismay}, {Daunt}, {Appall}. Dismay denotes a state
          of deep and gloomy apprehension. To daunt supposes
          something more sudden and startling. To appall is the
          strongest term, implying a sense of terror which
          overwhelms the faculties.
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                So flies a herd of beeves, that hear, dismayed,
                The lions roaring through the midnight shade.
                                                    --Pope.
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                Jove got such heroes as my sire, whose soul
                No fear could daunt, nor earth nor hell control.
                                                    --Pope.
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                Now the last ruin the whole host appalls;
                Now Greece has trembled in her wooden walls.
                                                    --Pope.
          [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  dismaying
       adj : causing consternation; "appalling conditions" [syn: {appalling}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  76 Moby Thesaurus words for "dismaying":
     affecting, afflictive, alarming, awing, baffling, bewildering,
     bitter, bleak, bothering, cheerless, chilling, comfortless,
     confounding, confusing, daunting, deplorable, depressing,
     depressive, deterrent, deterring, discomforting, discomposing,
     disconcerting, discouraging, disheartening, dismal, disquieting,
     distracting, distressful, distressing, disturbing, dolorific,
     dolorogenic, dolorous, dreary, embarrassing, enigmatic,
     fear-inspiring, fearful, fearsome, frightening, frightful,
     grievous, intricate, joyless, lamentable, mournful, moving,
     mysterious, mystifying, overawing, painful, pathetic, perplexing,
     perturbing, piteous, pitiable, poignant, problematic, puzzling,
     regrettable, rueful, sad, saddening, scaring, scary, sharp, sore,
     sorrowful, startling, touching, uncomfortable, upsetting,
     woebegone, woeful, wretched