Synonyms

disheartening

American

[dis-hahr-tn-ing] / dɪsˈhɑr tn ɪŋ /

adjective

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.

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.

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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.

"It took a lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of effort. It's just such a waste and it's so disheartening."

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

He’s 0-6 in the playoffs and the Chargers’ disheartening loss to the New England Patriots in the wild-card playoffs probably gave him plenty of reasons to think about his future.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2026

It was disheartening to see the Washington Post publishing stories without Iranian reporters involved.

From Slate • Mar. 3, 2026

The news was good, but also disheartening: Toyota Motor was planning to build its first stand-alone factory in the U.S., but her state wasn’t in consideration.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

The bleak line of shore surrounding the gray harbor was a disheartening contrast to the shimmering green and white that fringed the turquoise bay of Barbados which was her home.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare

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