crestfallen

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

Also spelled crest-fallen

US /ˈkrɛstˌfɔlən/ UK /ˈkrɛstˌfɔːlən/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
sad and disappointed after a defeat or letdown

He looked crestfallen when his name was not called.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · sad and disappointed after... dejected downcast disheartened despondent disappointeddispiriteddownhearted

Opposites

elated jubilant exultant cheerful

Word family

Derived forms crestfallenlycrestfallenness

Related forms crest fallen

Etymology

A compound of 'crest' + 'fallen', originally describing a cock or horse with a drooping crest, hence figuratively dispirited.

crista Latin feallan Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# crestfallen

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈkrɛstˌfɔlən/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkrɛstˌfɔːlən/

## Meanings
1. sad and disappointed after a defeat or letdown

## Examples
- He looked crestfallen when his name was not called.

## Synonyms
- dejected
- downcast
- disheartened
- despondent
- disappointed
- dispirited
- downhearted

## Antonyms
- elated
- jubilant
- exultant
- cheerful

## Derived Forms
- crestfallenly
- crestfallenness

## Related Forms
- crest
- fallen

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: crista
- Root: feallan

## Etymology
A compound of 'crest' + 'fallen', originally describing a cock or horse with a drooping crest, hence figuratively dispirited.

## AI Etymology
Crestfallen is a compound of 'crest' + 'fallen', originally describing a cock or horse with a drooping crest, hence figuratively dispirited. In present-day use, it means sad and disappointed after a defeat or letdown. Derived formations include crestfallenly and crestfallenness. Related vocabulary includes crest and fallen.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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