Dismays is a verb meaning to cause someone to feel worry, disappointment, or discouragement. In usage, it conveys a strong emotional impact, often with a formal or literary nuance. The form dismays can function as present tense with third-person singular, or as a plural past tense in some archaic constructions, though modern usage sticks to the simple present or past forms (dismayed). The sense is generally to alarm or upset rather than merely disappoint.
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