chagrin
/'ʃægrin/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A feeling of distress, embarrassment, or annoyance caused by failure, disappointment, or a humiliating event. It is a mixture of disappointment and humiliation.
Verb:
- To cause someone to feel chagrin; to mortify, humiliate, or disappoint someone, thereby hurting their pride.
Usage and Examples
Noun:
- To one's chagrin...: This is a very common phrase used to introduce a disappointing or embarrassing fact.
- Much to her chagrin, she came last in the race. (She felt very embarrassed and disappointed because she came last.)
- He felt a deep chagrin at having forgotten his lines during the speech. (He felt strong embarrassment and distress.)
- They accepted the defeat with chagrin. (They accepted the defeat with a feeling of disappointment and humiliation.)
Verb:
- He was chagrined by his own careless mistake. (His own mistake caused him to feel embarrassed and disappointed.)
- The team's poor performance chagrined their dedicated coach. (The poor performance caused the coach to feel distressed and disappointed.)
- It chagrins me to admit I was wrong. (It causes me embarrassment and annoyance to admit I was wrong.)
Advanced Usage and Nuances
- Degree of Intensity: "Chagrin" often describes a feeling that is more acute than simple disappointment but less intense than deep shame or grief. It is closely tied to wounded pride.
- Formality: The word is more common in formal or literary contexts than in everyday casual speech.
- Common Constructions:
- "Much to [someone's] chagrin": This is the most frequent collocation, highlighting that something happened that caused the person this specific feeling.
- "Feel chagrin" / "Be filled with chagrin": Used to directly describe the emotional state.
Variants and Related Words
- Chagrined (adjective): Describing the state of feeling chagrin.
- She had a chagrined expression after realizing her error.
- Chagrin (verb, past participle): Often used as an adjective in the form "chagrined."
- The chagrined employee apologized for the error.
Synonyms
- Noun: Embarrassment, humiliation, mortification, dismay, annoyance, vexation, disappointment.
- Verb: Mortify, humiliate, embarrass, dismay, vex, disappoint.
Antonyms
- Noun: Pride, delight, jubilation, satisfaction.
- Verb: Delight, gratify, please, honor.
Idiomatic Expressions and Phrases
- "To [someone's] chagrin": As previously described, this is the primary idiomatic structure.
- To the chagrin of the organizers, the main speaker canceled at the last minute.
- "Eat crow" (idiom with similar sense): To be forced to admit a humiliating error. This is less formal than "chagrin."
- After boasting about his prediction, he had to eat crow when he was proven wrong.
Noun
- strong feelings of embarrassment
Verb
- cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of
- He humiliated his colleague by criticising him in front of the boss