Meaning & use
discourage
To cause someone to lose confidence, enthusiasm, or the will to continue with something.
See it in a sentence
Repeated rejections nearly discouraged her from applying for any more jobs.
The school's new policy is meant to discourage students from skipping class.
A note on using this word
Discourage can target a person's feelings, as in discourage her, or an action, as in discourage smoking.
Words with a similar meaning
disheartendeter
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
encourage
Make it your own
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