: lack of satisfaction with one's possessions, status, or situation : lack of contentment:
a
: a sense of grievance : dissatisfaction
the winter of our discontent—
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
b
: restless aspiration (see aspiration sense 1a) for improvement
discontented; discontenting; discontents
: to make dissatisfied or discontented
were discontented by the decision
: one who is dissatisfied or discontented : malcontent
Examples of discontent in a Sentence
Adjective
Polls show that voters are growing increasingly discontent.
a novel about a woman who is desperately discontent with the stifling limitations of her small-town life
Noun (1)
the rebels worked to stir up discontent among the citizens
Verb
the ongoing lack of decent food discontented and demoralized the soldiers in the rebel army
Recent Examples on the Web
Andy Jones, The Athletic, 24 Aug. 2024
The decision to put an end date on Tuchel’s time at Bayern, in many ways, feels like a band-aid to calm down both the dressing room and also an increasingly discontent fan scene.
—Manuel Veth, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
Nik Popli / Washington, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
There’s a creeping distrust of this kind of maneuver, in which past glory is used to cover present discontent.
—Ian Penman, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Liam Reilly, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025
Written by Escola, Oh Mary! reimagines the life of Mary Todd Lincoln, depicting her as a wannabe cabaret star with a drinking problem who is discontented with her life in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discontent
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Adjective
Yet there has been discontent among the fanbase at the steady trickle of youthful talent exiting the club this summer.
—Andy Jones, The Athletic, 24 Aug. 2024
The decision to put an end date on Tuchel’s time at Bayern, in many ways, feels like a band-aid to calm down both the dressing room and also an increasingly discontent fan scene.
—Manuel Veth, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
Noun
At recent town halls across the country, constituents have voiced their discontent over spending freezes and federal worker firings spearheaded by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
—Nik Popli / Washington, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
There’s a creeping distrust of this kind of maneuver, in which past glory is used to cover present discontent.
—Ian Penman, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Verb
Post staffers also have for some time also been discontented with Bezos over his appointment of Lewis as publisher and chief executive.
—Liam Reilly, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025
Written by Escola, Oh Mary! reimagines the life of Mary Todd Lincoln, depicting her as a wannabe cabaret star with a drinking problem who is discontented with her life in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discontent
Cite this Entry
“Discontent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discontent. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
discontent
1 of 3 adjective
dis·con·tent
ˌdis-kən-ˈtent 
discontent
2 of 3 verb
: to make discontented
discontentment
noun
-mənt
discontent
3 of 3 noun
: the condition of being dissatisfied
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