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.

We’ll see several startling upsets in this round that won’t end up mattering, along with a disheartening number of 0-0 and 1-1 draws.

From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026

Her performances at the Grand Slams have generally been disappointing and the limp manner in which she lost in the Australian Open second round was particularly disheartening.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

Sabbir’s transmission drew a disheartening response: “The area,” an Iranian official explained to him, was “very dangerous and a red zone.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Mr. Curtain was turning the pages with disheartening speed, but Reynie dared not interrupt again.

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

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