# gutted

Very disappointed, upset, or crushed by an unwelcome result. Often used for a loss, cancellation, or missed opportunity.

Canonical URL: https://slanglane.com/terms/gutted
Release: daily-2026-10-19
Checked: 2026-10-19T00:00:00.000Z
Register: Informal · deeply disappointed
Language: general
Review: editorial

## Meaning

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.

## Original examples

> The concert was canceled on the morning of the show. I am gutted.

In plain English: I am very disappointed because I was looking forward to it.

Context: The canceled plan supplies the cause.

> Gutted for you after that last-minute defeat.

In plain English: I feel sorry that the result was so disappointing for you.

Context: Gutted for someone expresses sympathy.

## When it fits

Use it informally for a substantial disappointment or a shared emotional reaction. A short “gutted for you” can be sympathetic in the right relationship.

## Mind the context

Avoid interpreting building reports through the emotional sense, or using a stock slang reaction where a serious loss needs more thoughtful support.

## Important differences

### chuffed

Chuffed normally means pleased or delighted. Gutted describes the unwelcome opposite kind of result.

## Regional notes

- UK / Ireland: A familiar informal emotional expression, also increasingly heard in other varieties of English.

## 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.

## Questions

### 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

- [gutted — English entry](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gutted#English) — Wiktionary contributors. Checked 2026-10-19T00:00:00.000Z. Supports: meaning; usage.

Source texts retain their original licenses. Definitions and factual notes are research-informed; examples and usage advice are original SlangLane writing.