discourage
Americanverb (used with object)
-
discourages,
present (3rd person singular)
-
discouraged,
past participle, past
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discouraging
present participle
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to deprive of courage, hope, or confidence; dishearten; dispirit.
- Antonyms:
- encourage
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to dissuade (usually followed byfrom ).
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to obstruct by opposition or difficulty; hinder.
Low prices discourage industry.
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to express or make clear disapproval of; frown upon.
to discourage the expression of enthusiasm.
verb (used without object)
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discourages,
present (3rd person singular)
-
discouraged,
past participle, past
-
discouraging
present participle
verb
-
to deprive of the will to persist in something
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to inhibit; prevent
this solution discourages rust
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to oppose by expressing disapproval
Synonym Usage
Discourage, dismay, intimidate mean to dishearten or frighten. To discourage is to dishearten by expressing disapproval or by suggesting that a contemplated action or course will probably fail: He was discouraged from going into business. To dismay is to dishearten completely: Her husband's philandering dismayed her. To intimidate is to frighten, as by threats of force, violence, or dire consequences: to intimidate a witness.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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discouragementnoun
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discouragernoun
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overdiscourageverb (used with object)
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prediscourageverb (used with object)
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discourageableadjective
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undiscourageableadjective
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undiscouragingadjective
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discouraginglyadverb
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undiscouraginglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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discouragesimple
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discouragessimple
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have discouragedperfect
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has discouragedperfect
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am discouragingprogressive
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are discouragingprogressive
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is discouragingprogressive
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have been discouragingperfect progressive
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has been discouragingperfect progressive
Past
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discouragedsimple
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had discouragedperfect
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was discouragingprogressive
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were discouragingprogressive
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had been discouragingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of discourage
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English discoragen, from Middle French descorager, Old French descoragier; see dis- 1, courage
Explanation
If your friend is thinking about quitting her job and moving to the Peruvian Andes to raise llamas, you might discourage her by pointing out that she’s allergic to llamas and also afraid of heights. When you discourage someone, you try to talk them out of doing something, by pointing out reasons why their planned action would be unwise. The verb discourage has roots in the French word descouragier, which comes from des-, meaning “away,” and corage, or “courage.” So when you discourage someone, you can think of it as taking his courage — or enthusiasm — away.
Vocabulary lists containing discourage
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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.
See Examples For:
PG&E spokeswoman Lynsey Paulo said similarly that the utility is concerned the law will discourage the investments needed to accommodate rising electricity demand and stabilize rates and affordability.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Boor emphasizes that the goal is to help consumers make informed choices rather than discourage cleaning.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
Still, executives at American oil companies have privately said the presence of a U.S.-backed company in Venezuela could create an uneven playing field and discourage investment, people close to the industry said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
He said it was "right that their remuneration recognises the complexity and importance of those responsibilities, while ensuring that financial considerations do not discourage people from seeking elected office".
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
He and his family were outraged, but did he let this rejection discourage him?
From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña
Both processes could potentially help create an intestinal environment that discourages certain harmful bacteria and infections.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
McCarthy discourages front sleeping as your neck is turned one way for a long period of time.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
It’s a grim idea, that our hope is in a tool that discourages in-depth reading and a long-shot hypothetical strategy—both of which rely on technology known for sowing confusion.
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
Anthropic discourages other AI developers from using its tools to accelerate AI development, prohibiting competing products via its terms of service.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
The prospect of fording this /aife-colored torrent discourages most people from traveling any farther.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
A growing number of universities, from Yale to Cornell, have either banned or discouraged faculty reliance on AI detection tools as the primary evidence of alleged cheating.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
They were getting discouraged when no potential buyers showed up.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
The inquiry also condemned wider NHS culture, finding evidence of "toxic negativity" that discouraged whistleblowers.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
“That’s what happens when you feel discouraged or like nothing’s going to change.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
But instead of being discouraged, he left for the shipwreck site determined to prove the “experts” wrong.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
A school where some secondary-age pupils are escorted to the toilet could be discouraging them from seeking help for periods and other health issues, a campaigner has warned.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
And while Warsh isn’t issuing forward guidance, his lieutenants are, recently discouraging expectations of an interest-rate increase this month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Lieu expressed concern that security perimeters would be so large during the Games that drop-off points would be even more distant, necessitating walks of up to half an hour, discouraging fans from taking buses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
That could undermine the vaccine’s financial viability, a de facto way of discouraging Moderna from continuing to market it.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
This lack of civic-mindedness was discouraging, yet Penelope made another attempt.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
