disheartened

American

[dis-hahr-tnd] / dɪsˈhɑr tnd /

adjective

having one’s hope, courage, or spirits depressed; discouraged or demoralized.

I had been looking for work for months and was starting to get that disheartened feeling.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of dishearten.

Other Word Forms

undisheartened adjective

Etymology

Origin of disheartened

First recorded in 1610–20; dishearten ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective; dishearten ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb

Explanation

When you're disheartened, you feel discouraged or let down. It's easy to become disheartened if the grades on your report card don't reflect the hard work and dedication you exerted. You might be disheartened to read about the high unemployment rate in the newspaper, or disheartened by the way your carefully constructed rocket ship cake flopped. When you feel your spirits sink or your courage fail, you're disheartened. The first recorded use of the word dishearten showed up in Shakespeare's play Henry V, where he invented it to mean the opposite of hearten, or "encourage."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing disheartened

Tuck Everlasting

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

The Cay

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

The Wishing Spell

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

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.

The barren sands yielded nothing and the team, disheartened, headed back to their camp.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

He speculated that scholars and Americans in general were too disheartened by Vietnam to want to contemplate a traumatic rupture like the Civil War.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

“I think everyone would be super disheartened to learn that maybe it would be human-caused,” Harper said, confirming that there is a remote trail that provides hikers access to the tree.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2025

Before the Super Cup, the PSG boss clarified it was "100%" his decision to cut the Italian from his squad, with Donnarumma "disappointed and disheartened".

From BBC • Aug. 13, 2025

Celia looks out at the unrest that is Santa Teresa del Mar. She is disheartened.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023