bummer

/ˈbʌmər/

/ˈbʌmə/

Other forms: bummers

A bummer is a huge disappointment. It's a bummer when you try out for a big role in a play and don't end up getting it.

The word bummer is a very casual way to describe or make note of a frustrating experience. You can say, "It was such a bummer when we missed the train," or respond to bad news by saying, "Bummer!" The current meaning is from 1960s slang, but in the 1880s a bummer was a "loafer" or "idle person," probably from the German slang word bummler, "loafer."

Definitions of bummer

1. noun

   an experience that is irritating or frustrating or disappointing
   “having to stand in line so long was a real bummer”

   type of:

   annoyance, botheration, irritation, vexation

   the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed
2. noun

   a bad reaction to a hallucinogenic drug
   type of:

   effect

   a symptom caused by an illness or a medication