dispirit

verb

dis·​pir·​it (ˌ)di-ˈspir-ət 

-ˈspi-rət

dispirited; dispiriting; dispirits

transitive verb

: to deprive of morale or enthusiasm

dispirited

(ˌ)di-ˈspir-ə-təd 

-ˈspi-rət

adjective

dispiritedly adverb

dispiritedness noun

Synonyms of dispirit

• discourage
• frustrate

Examples of dispirit in a Sentence

dispirited by the overwhelming amount of information needed to write the report

Recent Examples on the Web

Haina job seeker on hiatus Coda says his mental health during his job search, while dispiriting, was less affected by the tepid responses because his family had been saving aggressively. — Sarah Jackson jennifer Liu, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026

There were fires to put out; an unbalanced squad, unsettled players, grumpy fans, some truly dispiriting defeats. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 30 July 2026

The primary is also dispiriting for some longtime residents, who watched both Bush and Bell rise as figures in the Black Lives Matter movement. — ABC News, 26 July 2026

And yet for God’s sake, just look at the man—at his dispiriting attempts at humor, his weirdly off-putting outfits, his incessant posting of banalities and faux profundities and extreme-right disinformation on social media. — Mark O’Connell, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

dis- + spirit

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dispirit

• spirit

Kids Definition

dispirit

verb

dis·​pir·​it (ˈ)dis-ˈpir-ət 

: to deprive of cheerful spirit : dishearten

dispiritedly adverb

dispiritedness noun