discourage

[dih-skur-ij, -skuhr-]

See more synonyms for discourage on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), dis·cour·aged, dis·cour·ag·ing.

to deprive of courage, hope, or confidence; dishearten; dispirit.
to dissuade (usually followed by from).
to obstruct by opposition or difficulty; hinder: Low prices discourage industry.

to express or make clear disapproval of; frown upon: to discourage the expression of enthusiasm.

verb (used without object), dis·cour·aged, dis·cour·ag·ing.

to become discouraged: a person who discourages easily.

Origin of discourage

1400–50; late Middle English discoragen < Middle French descorager, Old French descoragier. See dis-¹, courage

Related formsdis·cour·ag·er, noundis·cour·age·a·ble, adjectivedis·cour·ag·ing·ly, adverbo·ver·dis·cour·age, verb (used with object), o·ver·dis·cour·aged, o·ver·dis·cour·ag·ing.pre·dis·cour·age, verb (used with object), pre·dis·cour·aged, pre·dis·cour·ag·ing.un·dis·cour·age·a·ble, adjectiveun·dis·cour·aged, adjectiveun·dis·cour·ag·ing, adjectiveun·dis·cour·ag·ing·ly, adverb

Synonyms

See more synonyms for discourage on Thesaurus.com

1. daunt, depress, deject, overawe, cow, abash.

Synonym study

1. 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.

Antonyms

1. encourage.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for discouraged

Contemporary Examples

Press are also discouraged from asking and shouting out questions at the Royals during press calls.
Media, Dress Smart For Kate
Tom Sykes
November 20, 2014
Jackson says that at first, her parents thought it was strange and discouraged her from getting into Korean pop stars.
Black K-Pop Fans Come Out of the Closet
Sterling Wong
August 31, 2014
Perhaps even the indefatigable John Kerry might be discouraged from more futile and dispiriting peace talks.
Here’s What the U.S. Has to Do to Deal With the Mad Middle East
Leslie H. Gelb
July 16, 2014
Its contracted readership has not discouraged a larger group, maybe more than ever before, from writing it.
What the Forward Prize Doesn’t Recognize About Poets
Mandy Kahn
July 13, 2014
Another powerful woman has been discouraged from speaking on campus.
The Oh-So-Fragile Class of 2014 Needs to STFU And Listen to Some New Ideas
Olivia Nuzzi
May 13, 2014

Historical Examples

But he was not discouraged; he was merely changing his tactics.
The Raid From Beausejour; And How The Carter Boys Lifted The Mortgage
Charles G. D. Roberts
Notwithstanding their gentleness, during the first year the Huberts were often discouraged.
The Dream
Emile Zola
So easily is the humanity of the rich and great disgusted and discouraged!
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
The latter had given Cooke fresh hopes of success when he was worn and discouraged.
Heroes of the Telegraph
J. Munro
Discouraged and disgusted with the theatre, my passion for sculpture increased.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt

British Dictionary definitions for discouraged

discourage

verb (tr)

to deprive of the will to persist in something
to inhibit; preventthis solution discourages rust
to oppose by expressing disapproval

Derived Formsdiscouragement, noundiscourager, noundiscouragingly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for discouraged

discourage

v.

mid-15c., discoragen, from Middle French descourager, from Old French descoragier, from des- "away" (see dis-) + corage (see courage). Related: Discouraged; discouragement; discouraging.

discourage

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}discourage

Synonyms

Synonym study

Antonyms

Examples from the Web for discouraged

Contemporary Examples

Press are also discouraged from asking and shouting out questions at the Royals during press calls.

Jackson says that at first, her parents thought it was strange and discouraged her from getting into Korean pop stars.

Perhaps even the indefatigable John Kerry might be discouraged from more futile and dispiriting peace talks.

Its contracted readership has not discouraged a larger group, maybe more than ever before, from writing it.

Another powerful woman has been discouraged from speaking on campus.

Historical Examples

But he was not discouraged; he was merely changing his tactics.

Notwithstanding their gentleness, during the first year the Huberts were often discouraged.

So easily is the humanity of the rich and great disgusted and discouraged!

The latter had given Cooke fresh hopes of success when he was worn and discouraged.

Discouraged and disgusted with the theatre, my passion for sculpture increased.

discourage

Word Origin and History for discouraged

discourage

v.

Origin of discourage