dishearten

verb

dis·​heart·​en (ˌ)dis-ˈhär-tᵊn 

disheartened; disheartening; disheartens

transitive verb

: to cause to lose hope, enthusiasm, or courage : to cause to lose spirit or morale

were disheartened by the news

dishearteningly

(ˌ)dis-ˈhärt-niŋ-lē 

-ˈhär-tᵊn-iŋ-

adverb

disheartenment

(ˌ)dis-ˈhär-tᵊn-mənt 

noun

Synonyms of dishearten

• discourage
• frustrate

Examples of dishearten in a Sentence

The conflict between their families disheartened them.

we were disheartened by the news that our grandmother was seriously ill

Recent Examples on the Web

Amy Lawrence Were Iraq’s fans disheartened? — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 26 June 2026

Were the older folks of your time disheartened by your generation’s lack of interest with their movies? — Raj Tawney, IndieWire, 12 May 2026

Gomez said the search has been disheartening, with their hopes of staying in the city of Hammond beginning to wane. — Anna Ortiz, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2026

Rinderknecht’s father, who attended the whole trial, said he was disheartened by the judge’s decision to keep his son in custody. — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dishearten

• carton
• garten
• marten
• parton
• spartan
• tartan
• kindergarten

Kids Definition

dishearten

verb

dis·​heart·​en (ˈ)dis-ˈhärt-ᵊn 

: to deprive of courage and hope : discourage

disheartening

-ˈhärt-niŋ, 

-ᵊn-iŋ

adjective

dishearteningly

-lē 

adverb

disheartenment

-ˈhärt-ᵊn-mənt 

noun