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

“Protein and healthy fats are essential and were wrongly discouraged in prior dietary guidelines,” said Kennedy at Wednesday’s press conference, telling reporters that the government was “ending the war on saturated fats”.

From Barron's

The actress discouraged readers from trying to guess exactly who she was referring to in the post, adding: "Whatever you think is true isn't even close."

From BBC

Some attendees waved their arms in silent applause, since clapping was discouraged.

From The Wall Street Journal

First, there’s a pantomimed back story: During the overture, actors depicting the lovers as young teens flirt and are discouraged by adults.

From The Wall Street Journal

And when everybody — gay men or straight women — is discouraged from thinking more critically about the media they consume, nobody wins in this giant gay hockey game.

From Salon

Related Words

• crestfallen
• depressed
• dismayed
• pessimistic