Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Dismay"

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Dismay \Dis*may"\, v. i.
To take dismay or fright; to be filled with dismay. [Obs.]
--Shak.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Dismay \Dis*may"\, n. [Cf. OF. esmai, F. ['e]moi. See {Dismay},
v. t.]
1. Loss of courage and firmness through fear; overwhelming
and disabling terror; a sinking of the spirits;
consternation.

I . . . can not think of such a battle without
dismay. --Macaulay.

Thou with a tiger spring dost leap upon thy prey,
And tear his helpless breast, o'erwhelmed with wild
dismay. --Mrs.
Barbauld.

2. Condition fitted to dismay; ruin. --Spenser.

Syn: Dejection; discouragement; depression; fear; fright;
terror; apprehension; alarm; affright.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

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.

Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. --Josh. i.
9.

What words be these? What fears do you dismay?
--Fairfax.

2. To render lifeless; to subdue; to disquiet. [Obs.]

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.

So flies a herd of beeves, that hear, dismayed,
The lions roaring through the midnight shade.
--Pope.

Jove got such heroes as my sire, whose soul No
fear could daunt, nor earth nor hell control.
--Pope.

Now the last ruin the whole host appalls; Now
Greece has trembled in her wooden walls. --Pope.

From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)

dismay
n 1: the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles [syn: {discouragement},
{disheartenment}]
2: fear resulting from the awareness of danger [syn: {alarm}, {consternation}]
v 1: lower someone's spirits; make downhearted; "These news
depressed her"; "The bad state of her child's health
demoralizes her" [syn: {depress}, {deject}, {cast down},
{get down}, {dispirit}, {demoralize}, {demoralise}]
[ant: {elate}]
2: fill with apprehension or alarm; cause to be unpleasantly
surprised; "I was horrified at the thought of being late
for my interview" [syn: {alarm}, {appal}, {appall}, {horrify}]


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