- past tense form of discourage.
- past participle of discourage.
discouraged
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
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.
-
disapproved of.
Climbing on the safety railing is a strongly discouraged activity.
We consider payday lenders to be a discouraged industry.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of discouraged
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on a project and never seem to make any progress, you may feel discouraged, meaning your enthusiasm and optimism have been replaced by doubt and negativity.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.
Vocabulary lists containing discouraged
List 2
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"Lunch or Junk?" and "Food Deserts"
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List 3
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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.
Entertainment events are restricted and even the use of electricity is discouraged.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Condominium buying recently fell to a 20-year low as potential buyers have been discouraged by high interest rates and building fees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
New graduates lament that while their college professors discouraged the use of AI tools, hiring managers applaud it.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
One reason is the patient out-of-pocket cap encouraged higher utilization of medicines like GLP-1s and may have also discouraged use of lower-cost biosimilars and generics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Anthony’s Quaker upbringing also had discouraged interest in partisan politics and women’s suffrage, so she focused on working with the temperance movement.
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.
