zklamat

Zklamat is a verb used in Czech and some related Slavic languages that means to disappoint or fail to meet someone’s expectations. It is used of plans, promises, performances, or forecasts that do not turn out as hoped. The action is typically understood as letting someone down rather than intentionally deceiving them, though the root idea is "to cause disappointment" rather than to cheat.

The word is formed with the prefix z- attached to the verb klamat, which in these languages conveys deception. The semantic shift from deception to failure to satisfy is characteristic of several Slavic terms, and zklamat is the standard word to express this outcome in Czech. The corresponding noun is zklamání (disappointment), and the adjective zklamaný means disappointed.

In usage, zklamat takes a direct object representing the person or group affected: e.g., a plan may disappoint the stakeholders, a performance may disappoint the audience, or an excuse may disappoint your teammates. It is common in both spoken and written Czech and is used in similar forms in other Slavic languages with cognate roots.

See also: klamat, zklamání, zklamaný.