discourage
verb
dis·cour·age
di-ˈskər-ij 
-ˈskə-rij
discouraged; discouraging
1
: to deprive of courage or confidence : dishearten
was discouraged by repeated failure
2
a
: to hinder by disfavoring
trying to discourage absenteeism
b
: to dissuade or attempt to dissuade from doing something
tried to discourage her from going
discourager
noun
Synonyms
Examples of discourage in a Sentence
Try not to let losing discourage you.
The area's dry climate discourages agriculture.
He claims the new regulations will discourage investment.
That type of behavior ought to be discouraged.
Recent Examples on the Web
The state should be encouraging, not discouraging the use of residential solar panels and discouraging utility monopolies like SDG&E, which posted nearly a billion-dollar profit last year.
—
Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2024
Heading into a presidential election, Burns-Tucker added that the move could further discourage voters and contribute to persistent distrust in the federal government.
—Kat Tenbarge, NBC News, 24 Apr. 2024
Setting a budget that’s too low can be discouraging and even keep you from sticking with it, Ms. Kennedy said.
—Krysten Chambrot, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024
Imperial officials hoped that this covert distribution of payments would discourage new requests and limit any precedents for compensation for state violence in the future.
—TIME, 23 Apr. 2024
Higher rates increase borrowing costs, which discourages spending and investing to slow down a hot economy and inflation.
—Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2024
That contract will provide four raises over a four-year period and give officers new retention bonuses to discourage them from leaving for other law enforcement agencies.
—Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Ballots are supposed to be cast in secret but there is apparently enough doubt about the integrity of the system to sustain the practice of vote buying and discourage voters from reneging on their promises to vote for the candidates who paid them.
—Rod McGuirk, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Apr. 2024
New York officials have tried to discourage honking since at least the 1930s.
—Erin Nolan, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2024
Heading into a presidential election, Burns-Tucker added that the move could further discourage voters and contribute to persistent distrust in the federal government.
—Kat Tenbarge, NBC News, 24 Apr. 2024
Setting a budget that’s too low can be discouraging and even keep you from sticking with it, Ms. Kennedy said.
—Krysten Chambrot, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024
Imperial officials hoped that this covert distribution of payments would discourage new requests and limit any precedents for compensation for state violence in the future.
—TIME, 23 Apr. 2024
Higher rates increase borrowing costs, which discourages spending and investing to slow down a hot economy and inflation.
—Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2024
That contract will provide four raises over a four-year period and give officers new retention bonuses to discourage them from leaving for other law enforcement agencies.
—Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Ballots are supposed to be cast in secret but there is apparently enough doubt about the integrity of the system to sustain the practice of vote buying and discourage voters from reneging on their promises to vote for the candidates who paid them.
—Rod McGuirk, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Apr. 2024
New York officials have tried to discourage honking since at least the 1930s.
—Erin Nolan, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'discourage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near discourage
Cite this Entry
“Discourage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discourage. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
discourage
verb
dis·cour·age
dis-ˈkər-ij
-ˈkə-rij
discouraged; discouraging
1
: to lessen the courage or confidence of : dishearten
didn't let losing discourage me
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