Showing Results for "discouraged"

See Also:

• past participle of discourage.
• past tense form of discourage.

discouraged

American  

[dih-skur-ijd, -skuhr-] / dɪˈskɜr ɪdʒd, -ˈskʌr- /

adjective

1. deprived of or lacking in courage, hope, or confidence.

   The discouraged writer discarded the poem, but it was retrieved by a young soldier who sent it off for publication.

   Another discouraged mother reported that she had no friends with whom to share childcare duties.

2. dissuaded or obstructed from doing something.

   A third of the discouraged firms would probably have qualified for loans had they applied.

   A discouraged worker is one who wants to work but is not looking for a job because of a perceived lack of demand.

3. disapproved of.

   Climbing on the safety railing is a strongly discouraged activity.

   We consider payday lenders to be a discouraged industry.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of discourage.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• undiscouraged
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of discouraged

discourage ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

If you work and work on a project and never seem to make any progress, you may feel discouraged, meaning your enthusiasm and optimism have been replaced by doubt and negativity. If you’ve ever felt discouraged, you won’t be surprised to learn that the word’s French origins refer to courage that has being taken away. The adjective describes people who no longer feel that good things will happen, such as discouraged job-seekers, who despite sending hundreds of applications to prospective employers, never get any responses. They may have "lost the courage" to keep looking for work.

Example Sentences

Further, rideshares have been discouraged by officials to avoid road congestion and price surges.

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026

My Irish Catholic mother’s inherited resentment of Protestant English monarchs discouraged enthusiasm for William of Orange’s successors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

Though nearly two-thirds of voters in the district are Latino, turnout is usually low among Spanish-speaking voters who are often discouraged by negative attack ads, Democratic activists said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026

Although the fintech posted its “first billion-dollar revenue quarter” in February, it wasn’t enough to satisfy investors who were discouraged by other details in the print.

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

While doing the dishes, Bep began talking to Mother and Mrs. van Daan about how discouraged she gets.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

Related Words

• crestfallen
• depressed
• dismayed
• pessimistic