gutted

Gutted is British slang for deeply disappointed or upset, usually about a loss, a missed chance or bad news. “I’m gutted” is stronger than “I’m disappointed” and a lot more British.

What gutted means

Collins defines it as disappointed and upset, and Dictionary.com’s slang sense is very sad, upset or frustrated. It’s the word for losing a match in the last minute, missing out on concert tickets or finding out the pub has stopped serving food. It’s often intensified: “absolutely gutted,” “proper gutted.”

It’s a staple of post-match interviews, where footballers who just lost will tell you they’re gutted, and of texts between friends.

Examples

• “Missed the last train by thirty seconds. Gutted.”
• “She didn’t get the job. She’s absolutely gutted.”
• “Gutted for you, mate. You deserved that one.”

Where it came from

To gut something is to remove its insides, and Merriam-Webster also lists “to destroy the inside of,” as a fire guts a building. The slang sense takes that feeling personally: bad news that leaves you hollowed out. Dictionary.com dates the “very upset” sense to the early 1990s.

For American readers

Americans understand it from context, but it still sounds distinctly British. The closest American equivalents are “crushed” or “devastated,” though gutted is a bit more casual than devastated.

Related terms

• Chuffed: pleased, the opposite.
• Knackered: exhausted.
• Skint: broke.
• Salty: bitter about it.

See more terms like this in our British slang guide.