gutted.
Very disappointed, upset, or crushed by an unwelcome result. Often used for a loss, cancellation, or missed opportunity.
What does gutted mean?
In everyday emotional language, being gutted means feeling strongly disappointed. A canceled trip, a narrow sports defeat, or missing an event you cared about can leave you gutted. It is stronger than mildly annoyed, although people sometimes exaggerate it for small disappointments.
The word also has literal and structural meanings: a gutted building has had its interior destroyed or removed. In a message saying “I am gutted I cannot come,” the emotional meaning is the relevant one. A sympathetic reply can acknowledge the disappointment rather than reading the dramatic wording literally.
See how it lands.
Original examples written for this entry, not quotations from the sources.
The concert was canceled on the morning of the show. I am gutted.
Gutted for you after that last-minute defeat.
The right word.
The right moment.
Use it informally for a substantial disappointment or a shared emotional reaction. A short “gutted for you” can be sympathetic in the right relationship.
Avoid interpreting building reports through the emotional sense, or using a stock slang reaction where a serious loss needs more thoughtful support.
Not quite the same as…
chuffed
Chuffed normally means pleased or delighted. Gutted describes the unwelcome opposite kind of result.
Across the Atlantic
A familiar informal emotional expression, also increasingly heard in other varieties of English.
A little backstory.
The figurative adjective extends the older verb gut. It is strongly associated with British usage but is not confined to one country or a recent internet generation.
Supported by Wiktionary contributors
Still wondering?
Does gutted mean angry?
Its central emotional meaning is disappointed or crushed. Anger may accompany that feeling but is not the definition.
What does “gutted for you” mean?
The speaker sympathizes with your disappointment rather than saying they caused it.
Sources & checks
Meaning and factual notes are informed by the references below. Examples and usage advice are original editorial writing. A source documents use; it does not measure current popularity.
- gutted — English entry ↗Wiktionary contributors · checked 19 Oct 2026Supports: meaning; usage