Meaning & use
disheartedly
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Meaning
adverbformalliterary
In a way that shows a loss of hope, confidence, or enthusiasm.
Grammar: Adverb modifying a verb or adjective: 'she spoke disheartedly'.
Patterns
- speak disheartedly
- sigh disheartedly
- look disheartedly at something
After losing the match, the team walked off the field disheartedly.
She looked disheartedly at the pile of bills on the table.
He spoke disheartedly about his chances of finding a new job.
Common combinations
- sigh disheartedly
- He sighed disheartedly when he saw how much work was left.
- speak disheartedly
- She spoke disheartedly about the future of the project.
- look disheartedly at
- The child looked disheartedly at the broken toy.
- walk away disheartedly
- They walked away disheartedly after being told the concert was canceled.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dejectedly
- Dejectedly means in a sad and low-spirited way; disheartedly emphasizes loss of courage or hope more than sadness.
- discouragedly
- Discouragedly is very close in meaning but even rarer; disheartedly is the more common choice in writing.
- despondently
- Despondently suggests a deeper, more hopeless despair than disheartedly.
Opposites
Word family
- dishearten verb
- To make someone lose hope or confidence.
- disheartened adjective
- Having lost hope or confidence.
- disheartening adjective
- Causing someone to lose hope or confidence.
Commonly confused: disheartedly or disheartened?
disheartedly vs disheartened
Disheartened is an adjective describing how someone feels; disheartedly is an adverb describing how an action is done.
Practice
Choose the correct word: 'After failing the exam, she stared ___ at her paper.'
Choose one answer.
The adverb 'disheartedly' describes how she stared. 'Disheartened' is an adjective and would need a verb like 'was'; 'disheartening' describes something that causes discouragement; 'dishearten' is the base verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “disheartedly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.