# dismay

> English word · Verb · IPA /dɪsˈmeɪ/ · frequency rank #20,613

## Definitions
1. To cause to feel apprehension; great sadness, or fear; to deprive of energy.
2. To render lifeless; to subdue; to disquiet.
3. To take dismay or fright; to be filled with dismay.

## Etymology
From Middle English dismayen, from Anglo-Norman *desmaiier, alteration of Old French esmaier (“to frighten”), probably from Vulgar Latin *exmagare (“to deprive (someone) of strength, to disable”), from ex- + *magare (“to enable, empower”), from Proto-Germanic *maginą, *maganą (“might, power”), from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ- (“to be able”).
Akin to Old High German magan, megin (“power, might, main”), Old English mæġen (“might, main”), Old High German magan, mugan (“to be powerful, able”), Old English magan (“to be able”). Cognate with Portuguese desmaiar (“to faint”) and Spanish esmayar. See also Portuguese esmagar, Spanish amagar. More at main, may.

## Easily confused with
- **Disney** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dismay-vs-disney)
- **distal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dismay-vs-distal)
- **display** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dismay-vs-display)
- **dismayed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dismay-vs-dismayed)
- **dimly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dimly-vs-dismay)
- **dismal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dismal-vs-dismay)

## Common misspellings (9)
`ddismay`, `dimsay`, `disamy`, `dismayy`, `dismmay`, `dismya`, `dissmay`, `dsimay`, `idsmay`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/dismay