displease

English

Etymology

English dis- +‎ please, from Middle English displesen, from Anglo-Norman despleisir, desplere, from Old French desplere (des- + plere).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɪsˈpliːz/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːz
• Hyphenation: dis‧please

Verb

displease (third-person singular simple present displeases, present participle displeasing, simple past and past participle displeased)

1. (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."

2. (intransitive) To give displeasure or offense.
3. (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

• misplease

Antonyms

• please

Derived terms

• displeaser

 

Related terms

• displeasure

Translations

to fail to please or satisfy

Esperanto: malplaĉi Finnish: tuottaa pettymys, olla vastenmielinen, olla pettynyt German: missfallen (de) Greek: Ancient: ἀπαρέσκω (aparéskō) Latin: displiceō Maori: whakaahu

See also

• affront
• anger
• annoy
• chafe
• disgust
• dissatisfy
• offend
• provoke
• vex

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.