discouraged

American  

[dih-skur-ijd, -skuhr-] / dɪˈskɜr ɪdʒd, -ˈskʌr- /

adjective

1. deprived of or lacking in courage, hope, or confidence.

   The discouraged writer discarded the poem, but it was retrieved by a young soldier who sent it off for publication.

   Another discouraged mother reported that she had no friends with whom to share childcare duties.

2. dissuaded or obstructed from doing something.

   A third of the discouraged firms would probably have qualified for loans had they applied.

   A discouraged worker is one who wants to work but is not looking for a job because of a perceived lack of demand.

3. disapproved of.

   Climbing on the safety railing is a strongly discouraged activity.

   We consider payday lenders to be a discouraged industry.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of discourage.

Other Word Forms

• undiscouraged adjective

Etymology

Origin of discouraged

discourage ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

If you work and work on a project and never seem to make any progress, you may feel discouraged, meaning your enthusiasm and optimism have been replaced by doubt and negativity. If you’ve ever felt discouraged, you won’t be surprised to learn that the word’s French origins refer to courage that has being taken away. The adjective describes people who no longer feel that good things will happen, such as discouraged job-seekers, who despite sending hundreds of applications to prospective employers, never get any responses. They may have "lost the courage" to keep looking for work.

Example Sentences

Two promising early signs of pending home sales suggest that some home buyers weren’t entirely discouraged by rising mortgage rates.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

This “prime-age” group’s participation rate has held near multidecade highs—evidence that the overall decline in participation is being driven by an aging population cycling out of the workforce rather than discouraged workers giving up.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The influx of nutrients from the landslide may have supported these communities, while the release of toxic sulfur compounds could have discouraged other marine life from disturbing them.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

Gavaskar said he understood Vettori may not have understood the dynamic but that the franchise owner should have discouraged the purchase.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

And if their hearts still won't open in the future, I won't be discouraged.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

Related Words

• crestfallen
• depressed
• dismayed
• pessimistic