What is Dismayed?
A mixture of surprise and distress upon encountering something that feels wrong or deeply disappointing. It often includes a sense of helplessness about how to respond. Dismay arises when reality sharply contradicts what was hoped for or expected.
When you might feel dismayed
Dismayed is a specific form of stunned, which itself is a type of surprise. You might experience this feeling in situations where surprise is present, particularly when the circumstances align with the nuances that define dismayed.