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

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

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

Meanwhile, after 11 losses in a row, the team is left facing a disheartening reality.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 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

In January they froze into disheartening poses; in August they ballooned and ruptured.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

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