as in despair
the state of being discouraged
I tried desperately to avoid discouragement after failing the bar exam twice
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Recent Examples of discouragement
Labor market discouragement can come from weakness in the overall job market, shifts in industrial composition, or barriers or constraints that affect specific workers.
—
Kathryn Anne Edwards, Twin Cities, 27 Oct. 2025
Probably, despite Todd’s discouragement.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025
The gradual combination of these skills helps students avoid most crashes in the long term, leading to less discouragement and frustration.
—Maria Williams, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
So feelings of self-doubt, frustration, and discouragement start to kick in.
—Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discouragement
Kathryn Anne Edwards, Twin Cities, 27 Oct. 2025
Probably, despite Todd’s discouragement.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025
The gradual combination of these skills helps students avoid most crashes in the long term, leading to less discouragement and frustration.
—Maria Williams, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
So feelings of self-doubt, frustration, and discouragement start to kick in.
—Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discouragement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discouragement
Noun
-
Through war, famine, and economic despair, people have come together to survive and thrive.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Europe’s economy is showing signs of recovery, despite widespread despair over its prospects.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Our dismay over the missing notebooks is shared by Josh Levy, who's the historian of science and technology at the manuscript division of the Library of Congress.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Then, to some parents’ dismay, Thursday too.—
Jessica Ma,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Discouragement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discouragement. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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