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displease. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
displease, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
displease in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
displease you have here. The definition of the word
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displease, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
English dis- + please, from Middle English displesen, from Anglo-Norman despleisir, desplere, from Old French desplere (des- + plere).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dɪsˈpliːz/
- Rhymes: -iːz
- Hyphenation: dis‧please
Verb
displease (third-person singular simple present displeases, present participle displeasing, simple past and past participle displeased)
- (transitive) To make not pleased; to cause a feeling of disapprobation or dislike in; to be disagreeable to; to vex slightly.
The boy's rudeness displeased me.
I felt displeased with the boy.
1662, Thomas Cranmer [et al.], compilers, “The Psalms, Sixteenth Day, Evening Prayer”, in The Book of Common-Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments, , London: John Bill, and Christopher Barker, , →OCLC:Wilt thou be displeased at us forever: and wilt thou stretch out thy wrath from one generation to another?
2024 October 2, Philip Haigh, “Different types of passengers require different types of fare”, in RAIL, number 1019, page 54:How can an operator be, at the same time, top for overall satisfaction and bottom for value for money? I turned to Anthony Smith for the answer, leaning on his 20 years running Transport Focus and its predecessors.
It's commuters, he explained. "You can't please commuters, you can only not displease them."
- (intransitive) To give displeasure or offense.
- (transitive, obsolete) To fail to satisfy; to miss of.
c. 1608–1611, Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher, “The Maid’s Tragedy”, in Comedies and Tragedies , London: Humphrey Robinson, , and for Humphrey Moseley , published 1679, →OCLC, Act IV, scene i:I shall displease my ends else.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
to fail to please or satisfy
See also
Further reading
- “displease”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “displease”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “displease”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.