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."

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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.

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

Mr Rose said he was "disheartened" by Theo's experience and said it was the first time in his 30-year career he had "seen this side of policing".

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

Olwande Akoth, a designer showcasing her upcycled kimonos at the fashion show, once traded in second-hand bales but often felt disheartened by their poor quality.

From Barron's • Oct. 13, 2025

“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

Nevertheless, working for half pay must have disheartened her.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

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