disheartening

American  

[dis-hahr-tn-ing] / dɪsˈhɑr tn ɪŋ /

adjective

1. depressing a person’s hope, courage, or spirits; discouraging.

   It's been disheartening to see some of her old habits and fears returning, even though they aren't as bad as when she was much younger.

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Other Word Forms

• dishearteningly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of disheartening

dishearten ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Explanation

Something disheartening causes you to lose your confidence or enthusiasm. It's disheartening when your basketball team loses four games in a row. Breaking disheartening down to its parts, you can see the dis- prefix, meaning "not" or "take away," and the figurative heart, "good feelings or courage." While a heartening message from your pen pal cheers you up, anything disheartening does the opposite. A disheartening grade on your big English paper brings you down, and disheartening news can make your whole family feel a little depressed. If it's disheartening, it's a bummer.

Example Sentences

"So it's a bit disheartening and annoying really."

From BBC • May 21, 2026

Sabbir’s transmission drew a disheartening response: “The area,” an Iranian official explained to him, was “very dangerous and a red zone.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026

The most disheartening aspect of Mr. Pielke’s op-ed is that his peer-reviewed efforts to correct the record were met with silence.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

"Unfortunately, it didn't match," Sutherland says, adding: "That was a bit of a disheartening moment."

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

Just keeping them in food and clothing, chasing them down when they were late or absent—all of it was exhausting and occasionally disheartening.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Related Words

• alarming
• astounding
• awful
• dire
• dreadful
• frightening
• frightful
• ghastly
• harrowing
• hideous
• horrible
• horrific
• shocking
• terrible
• terrifying