MEANING
To cause someone to feel dissatisfied, annoyed or displeased.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- displease an audience
- displease a patron
On the page
The restrained ending displeased readers who expected a complete explanation.
Her refusal to exaggerate the achievement displeased the patron who had commissioned the account.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- displease
- Past tense
- displeased
- Past participle
- displeased
- Present participle
- displeasing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- displease
- Present continuous
- am/is/are displeasing
- Present perfect
- have/has displeased
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been displeasing
- Past
- displeased
- Past continuous
- was/were displeasing
- Past perfect
- had displeased
- Past perfect continuous
- had been displeasing
- Future
- will displease
- Future continuous
- will be displeasing
- Future perfect
- will have displeased
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been displeasing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: displease; displeases; displeased; displeased; displeasing Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, narrative analysis, characterization, contrast. Disciplines: literary analysis, prose writing, advanced general English. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: displeases.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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