enttäuschend
/ɛntˈtɔɪ̯ʃn̩t/
The German word for "disappointing" is enttäuschend.
enttäuschend is an adjective used to describe something that causes disappointment.
Meaning: that disappoints or disappoint (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
It is important to distinguish between the cause and the feeling. Use enttäuschend to describe the thing that causes the emotion, such as a movie. Use the participle enttäuscht to describe a person who is feeling the emotion of being disappointed.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɛntˈtɔɪ̯ʃn̩t/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use enttäuschend to describe how a person feels. Instead, use enttäuscht to indicate that a person is disappointed.
Did you know?
- The root of enttäuschend is Täuschung, meaning 'deception'. To be disappointed in German is literally to be 'de-ceived' or to have the illusion removed.
- If you tell a German friend 'Ich bin enttäuschend', you are accidentally saying 'I am a disappointing person' rather than 'I am disappointed'.
- To express that a result was disappointing, a German speaker might say das war ein Reinfall, which literally translates to 'that was a fall-in' or a total flop.
Examples in context
- Das ist sehr enttäuschend.That's very disappointing.This sentence is useful for expressing that something is very disappointing using enttäuschend.Tatoeba #4884443 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #4880005 by CK
- Der Film war enttäuschend.The movie was disappointing.This sentence shows how to describe a movie as being enttäuschend.Tatoeba #13948658 by Waldelfe, translation #4497328 by CK
- Ihr Artikel war enttäuschend.Your article was disappointing.This sentence demonstrates using enttäuschend to describe an article.Tatoeba #3289052 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2432233 by AlanF_US
- Robert, es ist enttäuschend, dass das Projekt nicht rechtzeitig abgeschlossen wurde.Robert, it is disappointing that the project was not completed on time.
- Maria, das ist echt enttäuschend! Ich hatte mich so darauf gefreut, dich heute zu sehen.Maria, that is really disappointing! I was looking forward to seeing you today.
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Maximilian are discussing the result of a football match.
- JuliaDas Spielergebnis war wirklich enttäuschend.The match result was really disappointing.
- MaximilianJa, das finde ich auch.Yes, I think so too.
- JuliaMaximilian, bist du auch traurig?Maximilian, are you sad too?
- MaximilianEin bisschen, aber es ist nur ein Spiel.A little, but it's just a game.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “disappointing” translations and entries enttäuschend, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
