What does dejection mean?
Word: Dejection
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Dejection means a feeling of sadness and disappointment, especially after a failure or bad news.
Synonyms: despondency, low spirits, sadness
Antonyms: elation, joy, cheerfulness
Word origin: Comes from a Latin word meaning a throwing down: a dejected person feels thrown down.
How do you spell dejection?
Syllables: de - jec - tion
Tricky part: The middle is ject, as in reject and project: a j for the soft sound and a c before the t. Students write degection or dejektion.
Watch out for: degection, dejektion
Memory tip: Dejection belongs to the ject family with reject and project: when your idea is rejected, you may feel dejection.
Dejection in a sentence
Example 1: There was dejection in the dressing room after the team lost in the final over.
Example 2: She hid her dejection with a smile when her name was not on the list.
Example 3: Her dejection did not last long; by evening she was planning her next attempt.
Fun Fact
Deject was once also a verb meaning to throw down or make sad; it is rare today, and we mostly meet dejected and dejection.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Fusion
Choose the two parts that fit the blanks to make a meaningful word:
___ject___ 1. de 2. inter 3. ob 4. ion 5. ure 6. ive
a) 1 and 4
b) 1 and 5
c) 2 and 5
d) 3 and 5
Show answer
a) 1 and 4. De + ject + ion makes dejection, the low feeling after a loss; interjecture, objecture and dejecture are not words.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
ectjonide
a) a careful plan made well in advance
b) the gloom you feel when your hopes are let down
c) a short break in the middle of work
d) a sudden burst of loud laughter
Show answer
b) the gloom you feel when your hopes are let down. The letters rebuild dejection, the mood of a team that has just lost.
Word Tally
Give 2 marks for each correctly spelt word. How many marks does this list earn? dejection, dispair, sorrow, misary, gloom, grief
a) 6
b) 10
c) 4
d) 8
Show answer
d) 8. Dejection, sorrow, gloom and grief are right (4 x 2 = 8); despair and misery are misspelt.
Sound Check
In which word is 'tion' pronounced differently?
a) dejection
b) mention
c) question
d) caution
Show answer
c) question. In question, tion is said with a ch sound; in dejection, mention and caution it is said shun.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which event is most likely to cause dejection?
a) failing a test you had studied for
b) setting off on a family holiday
c) getting a brand-new bicycle
d) winning a prize at school sports
Show answer
a) failing a test you had studied for
2. What would most likely lift a person's dejection?
a) losing a favourite pen
b) hearing some very good news
c) missing the last bus home
d) failing a spelling quiz
Show answer
b) hearing some very good news
