disheartening
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disheartening
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It is disheartening, but we just go and we get on with it," she said.
From BBC • May 6, 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
Meanwhile, after 11 losses in a row, the team is left facing a disheartening reality.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
"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
Mom and Dad waited in line with their card for their designated food supply, and it was disheartening to see my parents so powerless.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
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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.