Displeasure is the feeling you get when something bothers, annoys, or disappoints you. It's that uncomfortable sense that things aren't going the way you want them to. When your teacher shows displeasure at your class's behavior, you can see it in her frown and hear it in her tone. When your parents express displeasure with your messy room, they're letting you know they're not happy about it.

Displeasure sits somewhere between mild annoyance and genuine anger. It's stronger than simple disappointment but not as intense as fury. You might feel displeasure when a friend breaks a promise, when rain cancels your outdoor plans, or when you discover someone ate the last cookie you'd been saving.

The word often appears in formal situations. A principal might express his displeasure about students running in the hallways, or a coach might show her displeasure when the team doesn't follow the game plan. Notice how displeasure suggests disapproval: you dislike something because you think it shouldn't have happened that way. When someone incurs another person's displeasure, they've done something that person finds wrong or unsuitable, something that violates expectations or standards.