verb
discourage
dihs-KUH-rihj
verb
1
To make someone feel less confident, hopeful, or motivated.
"Repeated rejection can discourage even the most determined writer."
"Don't let one bad review discourage you from trying again."
2
To persuade someone not to do something.
"Her parents tried to discourage her from moving abroad alone."
How to Use Discourage
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo take away someone's confidence or motivation, or to talk them out of doing something.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
discourage someone from
feel discouraged
strongly discourage
Word Forms
discouraged past tense, discourages singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “discourage”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
Repeated rejection can _____ even the most determined writer.
Etymology
From Old French descouragier, built from des- ("dis-") plus corage ("courage, heart").