Expressing disappointment
Sometimes you are expecting something to be good and in the end it is less good than you were expecting.
Here are ten phrases you can use to show your disappointment.
Ten ways to say you are disappointed
casual · neutral · formal
- What a pity/shame!neutralThe match was cancelled? What a pity!
- How disappointing!neutralWe lost in the last over. How disappointing!
- That's too bad.neutralYou can't come to the party? That's too bad.
- What a bummer!casualThe beach is closed today? What a bummer!
- What a let-down!casualThe film was so boring. What a let-down!
- That's (just) so disappointing!neutralstrongThe hotel looked nothing like the photos. That's just so disappointing!
- I was so looking forward to...neutralI was so looking forward to seeing you this weekend.
- We had high hopes for...neutralWe had high hopes for the new coach.
- It did not live up to expectation.formalThe new system did not live up to expectation.
- What we had been led to expect was...formalWhat we had been led to expect was a full refund.
How to use them
- show quite a strong feeling of sadness at a personal disappointment.
- is often used to sympathize with another person's disappointment.
- are very informal and may be used to show anger or sadness at your own or other people's misfortune.
- emphasize the expectations that you had before the more negative result.
- is more formal and could be used in a formal letter of complaint.
- can be used in formal letters of complaint to explain what you had believed because of wrong information you were given.
Quick check
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You write a complaint to a company. Which phrase fits?
Your friend can't come to your party. What do you say?
"What a let-down!" means:
See also: Expressing surprise
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