crestfallen

adjective

crest·​fall·​en ˈkrest-ˌfȯ-lən 

1

: having a drooping crest or hanging head

2

: feeling shame or humiliation : dejected

After losing the playoff game, the team was crestfallen.

crestfallenly adverb

crestfallenness

ˈkrest-ˌfȯ-lən-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• bad
• blue
• brokenhearted
• cast down
• dejected
• depressed
• despondent
• disconsolate
• doleful
• down
• down in the mouth
• downcast
• downhearted
• droopy
• forlorn
• gloomy
• glum
• hangdog
• heartbroken
• heartsick
• heartsore
• heavyhearted
• inconsolable
• joyless
• low
• low-spirited
• melancholic
• melancholy
• miserable
• mournful
• sad
• saddened
• sorrowful
• sorry
• unhappy
• woebegone
• woeful
• wretched

Examples of crestfallen in a Sentence

she was crestfallen when she found out she hadn't got the job

Recent Examples on the Web

But two late pick-sixes sealed the Trojans’ loss and stuck with Maiava, who looked crestfallen in the postgame press conference. —Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024

The promised live music turned out to be a single violinist, and instead of ballroom dancing, there was a pole dancer performing for the crestfallen crowd. —Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024

The shooting and its aftermath took a toll on a crestfallen family and a city mired in underdevelopment. —Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 9 Aug. 2024

Simien is a part of a vast network of crestfallen creators, but the camaraderie hasn't soothed the sting. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 3 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see crest entry 1

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

crestfallen

adjective

crest·​fall·​en ˈkrest-ˌfȯ-lən 

: very sad and disappointed