Did you know?
Chagrin comes from French, in which it means "grief," "sorrow," or essentially the same thing as English's chagrin, and in which it is also an adjective meaning "sad."
Examples of chagrin in a Sentence
Katha Pollitt, Nation, 16 June 2003
In World War I, to his chagrin, Eisenhower again found himself on the sidelines, performing training duties stateside while Pershing, MacArthur, and Patton earned their battle ribbons.
—U.S. News & World Report, 16 Mar. 1998
In 1628, to the chagrin of Governor William Bradford, the Pilgrims erected an 80-foot Maypole, danced around it, drank beer, and sang.
—E. C. Krupp, Sky & Telescope, May 1994
Imagine my chagrin when a whiz kid from Dayton made all A's in the first quarter while I made two B's and a C+.
—John Hope Franklin, Race and History, 1989
The fact that he'd been unable to attend the funeral was a source of chagrin for Ted.
She had gained five pounds over the winter, much to her chagrin.
He decided to get a tattoo, to the chagrin of his parents.
Quil Lawrence, NPR, 3 Apr. 2024
As non-migratory birds, house sparrows stay put all year, much to the chagrin of native songbirds who migrate and are displaced from their nesting sites.
—Cecilia Garzella, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for chagrin 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chagrin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun and Verb
French, from chagrin sad
Articles Related to chagrin
Podcast
Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!
Dictionary Entries Near chagrin
Cite this Entry
“Chagrin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chagrin. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
More from Merriam-Webster on chagrin
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for chagrin
Nglish: Translation of chagrin for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of chagrin for Arabic Speakers
Share