Disgruntle
To cause someone to feel dissatisfied, discontented, or irritated; to make someone look unfavorably on a situation.
verbDisgruntle
To cause someone to feel dissatisfied, discontented, or irritated; to make someone look unfavorably on a situation.
verbImagine This
Imagine a once-happy employee who hears that bonuses will be cut and performance reviews will be harsher. Their smile fades, they cross their arms, and their mood shifts from cooperative to clearly disgruntled.
Sounds Like
dΙͺsΛΙ‘rΚn.tΙl (diss-GRUN-tΙl)
Looks Like
Resembles related terms like grumble or disgruntled; visually similar to other -untle verbs (grumble, bundle) in form.
Remember This
Disgruntle is a transitive verb; its past participle form is disgruntled (adjective). The noun form disgruntlement is rare but exists.
Other Forms
Connect With
dissatisfied, discontent, upset, irritated, resentful, irked
Note
Do not confuse with 'disgust' or 'upset' in a stronger sense; disgruntle specifically means to cause someone to become unsettled or discontent, often through policy or management actions. More formal writing tends to use 'discontent' or 'dissatisfy' for precision.
Study Deeper
- The sudden policy change disgruntled the staff.
- Poor communication from management disgruntled the team and slowed progress.
From dis- (not) + gruntle, an obsolete verb related to grumble; the sense evolved to mean to deprive of satisfaction, i.e., make someone discontent.
Disgruntle = not gruntled (not pleased). Think: if your mood grunts with frustration and you canβt smile, youβre disgruntled.
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