Meaning & use

discouragement

noun·Academic

Last updated

a feeling of losing confidence, enthusiasm, or hope.

See it in a sentence

After several rejections, a sense of discouragement began to set in.

The coach worked hard to keep discouragement from spreading through the team.

A note on using this word

Refers to an emotional state rather than an action; the verb form is 'discourage.'

Words with a similar meaning

disheartenmentdespondency

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

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