Definition

1. Noun:

   • A feeling of distress, embarrassment, or annoyance caused by failure, disappointment, or a humiliating event. It is a mixture of disappointment and humiliation.

2. 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

1. strong feelings of embarrassment

Verb

1. cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of
   • He humiliated his colleague by criticising him in front of the boss