What's the word I'm looking for?

[Jeff Root]

My thesaurus didn't help, the library is closed, and I can't
imagine what search terms to use. I'm in need of a word for
the emotion of a person reacting to a situation thusly: "Well.
You did exactly what I said you'd do. You fouled up again."
(Squeezes lips together in a slightly twisted sort of grimace
and shakes head slowly from side-to-side while staring at the
offender.)

It isn't disappointment or indignance because the person wasn't
expecting better. It certainly isn't anger. It isn't disgust,
vexation, frustration, pity, or sadness, though they all come
fairly close.

I have the feeling that there is a really obvious word that is
exactly what I want, and it just isn't coming to mind.

-- Jeff, in Minneapolis

[Melusine]

Exasperation? Irritated? Give me your best word and I'll throw in my unabridged thesaurus before I fall asleep. :-)

Main Entry: ex·as·per·a·tion Pronunciation: http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/images/doublehyphen.gifhttp://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/images/secondarystress.gifhttp://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/images/doublehyphen.gifhttp://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/images/doublehyphen.gifhttp://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/images/primarystress.gifrhttp://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/images/amacr.gifshhttp://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/images/schwa.gifn
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): -s
Etymology: Late Latin exasperation-, exasperatio, from Latin exasperatus + -ion-, -io -ion
1 : the state of being exasperated (http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?book=Third&va=exasperated) : marked irritation or annoyance <threw the book down in exasperation> <it should be real anger, and not merely the exasperation that comes of fretted nerves or facile emotion -- F.A.Swinnerton>; sometimes : violent or bitter anger : RAGE (http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?book=Third&va=rage)
2 : an act or source of exasperating (http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?book=Third&va=exasperating) : a cause of irritation <the petty exasperations of daily life>

[Launch window]

discouraged or exasperated ?

[Eroica]

Exasperation ??

Resignation ??

[Jeff Root]

Wow! That is fast service! Good quality, too: If
exasperation isn't the word I was looking for, it is so
close that I'm going to use it! Thank you, Melusine!

It would have been exasperating to have to use one
of the words I came up with.

-- Jeff, in Minneapolis

[Melusine]

Wow! That is fast service! Good quality, too: If
exasperation isn't the word I was looking for, it is so
close that I'm going to use it! Thank you, Melusine!

It would have been exasperating to have to use one
of the words I came up with.

-- Jeff, in Minneapolis
Your welcome! I was also thinking of weary because of the action of slowly shaking her head. Such as, "She shook her head wearily from side to side."

having one's patience, tolerance, or pleasure exhausted : impatient of the continuance or recurrence of something -- used with of <councils grew weary of reiterating a demand which could not be enforced -- R.W.Southern>

Anyway, good luck. :)

Edit add: She was probably irked, too.
Edit 2: Ack, bad syntax there.

[kashi]

Anger and frustration would fairly accurately describe how I would feel in that situation.

[mahesh]

hi

for what it's worth my tuppence.....

in which context is the word being used?
adressing a child perhaps;or a pet; something inanimate (we do sometimes);

well i never saw Laurel and or Hardy get exasperated....

'impishly' comes to mind, for your word...
have a nice day

[Eric Vaxxine]

Disbelief !

[Argos]

I express pity exactly that way.

[LurchGS]

Based on the quote, my money is on 'resignation' - to me, exasperation does imply some hope that the results would have been better, resignation, though, says to me that, no matter how many times you let go of the rock, it allways falls to the ground.

[Gillianren]

Depending on the person, it could even be satisfaction, you know--as in, "ha, I knew you'd screw up. I am now vindicated."

[gethen]

Depending on the person, it could even be satisfaction, you know--as in, "ha, I knew you'd screw up. I am now vindicated."
I was thinking exactly the same thing.

[LurchGS]

hrm - maybe with the head-shaking... but with the grimace?

[Jeff Root]

If I had a webcam and the necessary bandwidth, I'd have made a
recording of myself acting out the emotion. While writing the original
post, I actually recited the text expressing several emotions that
were *not* wat I meant. I said, "If it were anger, it would sound
like this... and if it were disappointment, it would sound like this...
and if it were sadness,..."

Some of the suggestions are completely wrong, yet they fit my
verbal description perfectly.

Don't read too much into my choice of the word "grimace".
I can't think of a better word for that either, but the best way
to describe the look is the expression on my sister's face in the
photos my dad took of us for Christmas cards when she was
about 14 years old. She didn't seem to be very pleased with
the process, and wanted to make that fact clear. It happens
at that age.

The "person" who's emotion I needed a word for is me.
The situation I was reacting to was the news a few days
ago that a Bush administration appointee at NASA headquarters
had been putting pressure on NASA scientists to quit saying
that the problem of global warming needs prompt action, and
to indicate on websites that the Big Bang is just a theory.
Someone else said he was amused by it. I'm saying (with
Melusine's help) that my reaction was more one of exasperation.
It isn't perfect, but it's closer than the words I came up with.

-- Jeff, in Minneapolis

[LurchGS]

ah - now, with that background, the word fits perfectly for me, too.

It's a frequent emotion for me - since I live so close to 'The People's Republik of' Boulder and 'Saudi' Aurora (one of Denver's suburbs, pretty draconian gov't there)