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

• undiscouraged adjective

Etymology

Origin of discouraged

discourage ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

After her first junior national competitions at 9 years old discouraged her from dreaming of the Olympics, Glenn is now the oldest U.S. women’s singles skater to make the Olympic team since 1928.

From Los Angeles Times

But looking to revitalise weak spending, China discouraged "one-size-fits-all" bans in 2024, contributing to a resurgence of the ancient fireworks trade.

From Barron's

Moreover, and perhaps more importantly, these new immigrants, aware of the ways in which “English” was being used as code for “American,” discouraged their children from learning their native-language.

From Salon

Like several other families we spoke to, she was discouraged from having a post-mortem, leaving the cause of Felix's death unknown.

From BBC

What if adults stopped believing in magic because they were always discouraged by others?

From Literature

Related Words

• crestfallen
• depressed
• dismayed
• pessimistic