v. 1
To cause to feel apprehension; great sadness, or fear; to deprive of energy.
v. 2
To render lifeless; to subdue; to disquiet.
n. 1
A sudden or complete loss of courage and firmness in the face of trouble or danger; overwhelming and disabling terror; a sinking of the spirits
He looked in dismay at the destruction of the town caused by the hurricane.
n. 2
Condition fitted to dismay; ruin.

Forms

Past participle: dismayed
e.g. dismayed → frightened, terrified, shocked, frighted…

Choose the right word

Dismay, Fright or Terror?

Dismay is a helpless sinking of heart in view of some overwhelming peril or sorrow. Dismay is more reflective, enduring, and despairing than fright; a horse is subject to fright or terror, but not to dismay.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

shock I expect him to get over the shock of his failure.
fright A little stage fright is normal before a concert.
frighten I doubt very seriously that that will frighten Tom.
daunt The prospect was almost enough to daunt her.
upset Tom was too upset to talk about what had happened.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
dismay		rising
shock		steady
fright		rising
frighten		rising
daunt		steady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: awe¹
4 letters: fear¹, fere, feer
5 letters: upset², shock¹, alarm², scare¹, dread¹, daunt¹, appal
6 letters: horror², terror², fright¹, appall², deject²
7 letters: depress², terrify³, startle², horrify³, petrify³, mismove
8 letters: frighten², affright, dispirit
10 letters: discourage³, intimidate⁴, demoralize⁴, demoralise, dishearten
11 letters: trepidation⁴
12 letters: apprehension⁴, astonishment⁴
13 letters: consternation⁴
14 letters: discouragement⁴, disheartenment

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (upset² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: consterner
Italiano: costernare
Español: consternar