discouragement

as in despair
the state of being discouraged I tried desperately to avoid discouragement after failing the bar exam twice

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of discouragement At the time, Joel was also passionate about motorcycles, despite both the record and the insurance company's discouragement. Marina Watts, People.com, 6 June 2025 Similarly, entrepreneurs should extract valuable insights from rejections while discarding the discouragement. Sarah Hernholm, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025 And the emotional toll and anxiety keep mounting up: discouragement, depression, and a reluctance to even try anymore. Robin Ryan, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025 Economic cooling, policy discouragement of conspicuous consumption, and a younger generation’s shifting priorities have combined to erode growth assumptions. Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for discouragement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discouragement
Noun
  • This is the despair of wrestlers: unredeemed perspiration, useless bruises.
    James Parker, The Atlantic, 6 July 2025
  • For the most part, professors were, yes, in despair.
    Sean Illing, Vox, 5 July 2025
Noun
  • Bayern forward Harry Kane was on his knees, checking on Musiala’s well-being, as was captain Joshua Kimmich, who took one look at his young team-mate’s left leg and turned away in apparent dismay.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 6 July 2025
  • The legislation also has a large-scale rollback of clean-energy initiatives, to the dismay of everyone from climate activists to Elon Musk.
    Ted Johnson, Deadline, 3 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Discouragement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discouragement. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.

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