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# displeasing

adjective (displeasing, more displeasing, most displeasing); also the -ing form of the verb displease (displease, displeases, displeased, displeasing)

«displeasing» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (formal) Displeasing means not nice or not pleasant; making you feel annoyed, uncomfortable or unhappy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/displeasing/#m1)
2. (verb) Displeasing someone means making them annoyed or unhappy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/displeasing/#m2)

### In the lessons

A formal or old-fashioned word, common in classic stories and polite speech: something is «displeasing to the eye/ear» or «displeasing to the king». It is a softer, more polite way of saying «unpleasant» or «I don't like it» — a kind of understatement. Phrases: displeasing to the eye, displeasing to the ear, afraid of displeasing.

### Examples

- The sour smell was displeasing. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/displeasing/#x1)
- The ugly new wall was displeasing to the eye. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/displeasing/#x2)
- The squeaky violin made a displeasing sound. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/displeasing/#x3)
- The servant was afraid of displeasing the queen. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/displeasing/#x4)
- She found the cold, grey room rather displeasing. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/displeasing/#x5)
- Displeasing your coach by being late is a bad idea. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/displeasing/#x6)
- "For, my dear child," she said to her, "it would be a great sin to submit to your father's wishes, but you can avoid the necessity without displeasing him. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/displeasing/#x7)

### Note

Formed from dis- + pleasing. Everyday words: unpleasant, nasty, horrible. The past form displeased is common as an adjective: «Mum was displeased» (annoyed). Opposite: pleasing.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «displeasing» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/displeasing/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«displeasing» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/displeasing.html) on Mova free.