discourage

verb

dis·cour·age | \ di-ˈskər-ij

, -ˈskə-rij\

discouraged; discouraging

Definition of discourage

transitive verb

1 : to deprive of courage or confidence : dishearten was discouraged by repeated failure

2a : to hinder by disfavoring trying to discourage absenteeism

b : to dissuade or attempt to dissuade from doing something tried to discourage her from going

Other Words from discourage Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about discourage

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Other Words from discourage

discourageable \ di-ˈskər-i-jə-bəl

, -ˈskə-ri- \ adjective

discourager noun

discouragingly \ di-ˈskər-i-jiŋ-lē

, -ˈkə-ri- \ adverb

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 process certainly takes practice and dedication, but don't get too discouraged. — Blair Donovan, Country Living, "Beekeeping for Beginners: Everything to Know About Starting Your Own Colony," 5 Apr. 2019 Like Goop, Kourt's already facing a bit of a backlash online from people discouraged at the price tags associated with that lifestyle. — Sara Rodrigues, House Beautiful, "Kourtney Kardashian's Poosh Shows You How to Update Your Bathroom for Spring—for $5,700," 4 Apr. 2019 While the helplessness of loss can discourage some or lead them to ultimately disengaging from society altogether, some — like Stevante — are driven toward pursuing substantive sociopolitical change. — Lincoln Anthony Blades, Teen Vogue, "Stevante Clark is Running for Mayor of Sacramento," 3 Jan. 2019 The activities encouraged those most likely to support Trump to get out to vote while actively trying to spread confusion and discourage voting among those most likely to oppose him. — Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica, "Massive scale of Russian election trolling revealed in draft Senate report," 17 Dec. 2018 And new regulations discouraged banks from making loans that borrowers will struggle to repay. — Emily Flitter, New York Times, "Bank Earnings Climb in Growing Economy, but Lending Doesn’t Keep Pace," 13 July 2018 Birds rely on these food sources most heavily during the colder months, so don't let the temperatures outside discourage you from refilling your feeders. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "Here's How Birds Stay Warm in the Winter, In Case You Were Wondering," 1 Feb. 2019 Krzanich’s departure underlined how major corporations are taking a stricter stance toward office romances involving executives rather than merely discouraging them. — James F. Peltz, latimes.com, "Intel CEO Brian Krzanich resigns over relationship with employee," 21 June 2018 The concern is that this might discourage students who want to use drones for a science project, or a contractor who wants to use a drone for home inspections. — Alexander George, Popular Mechanics, "Are Hobby Drones Dead?," 7 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'discourage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.