What it means
A very common British informal word for feeling really upset, properly disappointed, or a bit emotionally punched in the ribs after something goes wrong. You use it for bad news, cancelled plans, losses, near misses, or anything that leaves you feeling hollowed out inside. It can mean mildly deflated or fully heartbroken, depending on the moment.
Usage examples
"Was buzzing for the away day, then the coach broke down. Whole lot of us were proper gutted, ended up in a greasy spoon in Reading."
"I was absolutely gutted when the gig got cancelled an hour before doors, I had waited months for that band."
"She is proper gutted about missing the wedding, but the flights got cancelled and there was nothing she could do."
"I was proper gutted when they sold out right as I got to the payment screen, absolute nightmare."
"He looked gutted after the final whistle, just stood there staring at the pitch like his soul had missed the bus."
Where it comes from
It comes from the verb gut, which literally means to take the insides out of something, especially an animal or fish. That image of being emptied out slid into emotional English ages ago, so if bad news leaves you feeling hollow inside, you're gutted. It's now standard stuff in British everyday speech.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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