Dejected describes feeling sad and discouraged, like all your energy and hope have drained away. Imagine studying hard for a spelling bee only to get eliminated on the first word, or watching your team lose the championship game in the final seconds. That heavy, disappointed feeling is dejection.

Dejection carries a sense of defeat or letdown that goes beyond ordinary sadness. You might feel sad when a friend moves away, but you'd feel dejected after failing something you worked incredibly hard to achieve. A dejected person often shows it in their body language: slumped shoulders, downcast eyes, slow movements.

When something dejecting happens, it's like being knocked flat. A rejected manuscript might leave a writer feeling dejected. A team that loses every game might walk off the field looking dejected.

Everyone feels dejected sometimes. The feeling usually passes, especially when you try again or find a new goal to pursue. But in the moment, dejection is that crushing disappointment when things go differently than you hoped.