What does crestfallen mean?
Word: Crestfallen
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Crestfallen means sad and let down because something has not gone as you hoped.
Synonyms: downcast
How do you spell crestfallen?
Syllables: crest - fall - en
Tricky part: Two consonants meet in the middle, t then f, and pupils often swallow the t when they say it, writing cresfallen.
Watch out for: cresfallen, crestfallon
Memory tip: Say it slowly and tap the table at the t: if you cannot hear it, you will leave it out.
Crestfallen in a sentence
Example 1: Sana looked crestfallen when the school trip was put off.
Example 2: He came home crestfallen after missing the last place in the choir.
Example 3: The crestfallen young magician had forgotten his best trick.
Fun Fact
The picture behind it is a proud bird whose head feathers have drooped. Shakespeare used the word in Richard II, where it is printed with a hyphen.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Find the misspelt compound word:
a) crestfalen
b) homesick
c) heartbroken
d) downhearted
Show answer
a) crestfalen. This compound needs a double consonant in its second part.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
cr_stf_llen
a) e, e
b) i, a
c) a, a
d) e, a
Show answer
d) e, a. The first beat has the vowel of pest, and the second has the vowel of ball.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word crestfallen as used in the sentence:
The crestfallen team walked slowly off the ground after losing the final by a single run.
a) elated
b) dejected
c) gloomy
d) glum
Show answer
a) elated. Winners might feel elated, which is the reverse of how this team felt.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
Priya looked nfltceeslra when her kite string snapped just before the prize round.
a) fearless
b) careworn
c) faithless
d) crestfallen
Show answer
d) crestfallen. Eleven letters with a c and two l's leave just one word.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these would leave a runner feeling this way?
a) beating a personal best by a full minute
b) being picked as captain of the team
c) hearing the crowd cheer at the finish
d) missing a medal by a tenth of a second
Show answer
d) missing a medal by a tenth of a second
2. Aditi grinned at the result, but Nikhil was crestfallen. What can we say?
a) Nikhil had not sat the test.
b) Nikhil had scored the most marks.
c) Nikhil had hoped for a better result.
d) Nikhil did not care at all.
Show answer
c) Nikhil had hoped for a better result.
