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Synonyms

dispiriting

British  
/ dɪˈspɪrɪtɪŋ /

adjective

  1. tending to lower the spirit or enthusiasm; depressing; discouraging

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • dispiritingly adverb

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.

Thomas Frank faced fresh calls for his dismissal from angry Tottenham fans after a dispiriting 2-2 draw at Premier League strugglers Burnley on Saturday as Bournemouth ended Liverpool's long unbeaten run.

From Barron's • Jan. 24, 2026

A 3-2 margin might make that more possible, but a 4-1 scoreline would certainly bring McCullum and Key into sharper focus, especially after such a dispiriting Tuesday in Sydney.

From BBC • Jan. 6, 2026

And they can be deeply dispiriting when they don’t work.

From Slate • Dec. 19, 2025

It was a vibrant and dispiriting time, and Elie’s history is a sharp cross-cultural study that speaks to the present as well.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2025

I couldn’t help feeling a kind of helpless and dispiriting pointlessness in what I was doing.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

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.