letdown
letdown Lexical Profile
letdown Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A disappointment or anticlimax resulting from an event, experience, or person failing to meet expectations.
"After months of enthusiastic promotion, the movie's abrupt ending was a major letdown for audiences."
A decrease or relaxation in effort, intensity, tension, or emotional excitement following a peak period.
"Many athletes experience a brief psychological letdown immediately after competing in a championship."
The physiological reflex in lactating mammals by which milk is released from the mammary glands into the ducts in response to nursing or hormonal stimulation.
"The lactation consultant explained how the hormone oxytocin triggers milk letdown during breastfeeding."
Word Nuance & Usage
The closed compound "letdown" (or "let-down" in British English) is always a noun or attributive modifier, whereas the two-word form "let down" functions as a phrasal verb meaning to disappoint.
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the mid-19th century as a nominalization of the English phrasal verb "let down," combining Old English "lǣtan" (to allow or leave behind) and "dūn" (downward).