disheartening
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of disheartening
Explanation
Something disheartening causes you to lose your confidence or enthusiasm. It's disheartening when your basketball team loses four games in a row. Breaking disheartening down to its parts, you can see the dis- prefix, meaning "not" or "take away," and the figurative heart, "good feelings or courage." While a heartening message from your pen pal cheers you up, anything disheartening does the opposite. A disheartening grade on your big English paper brings you down, and disheartening news can make your whole family feel a little depressed. If it's disheartening, it's a bummer.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Shelly Corbin, a Native American activist who participated in the “Reimagining” meetings, found the federal suit disheartening.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
The most disheartening aspect of Mr. Pielke’s op-ed is that his peer-reviewed efforts to correct the record were met with silence.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
"Unfortunately, it didn't match," Sutherland says, adding: "That was a bit of a disheartening moment."
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
Meanwhile, after 11 losses in a row, the team is left facing a disheartening reality.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
She was eager to do it, but she found the process disheartening.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
