discourage
verb
dis·cour·age
di-ˈskər-ij 
-ˈskə-rij
discouraged; discouraging
1
: to deprive of courage or confidence : dishearten
was discouraged by repeated failure
2
a
: to hinder by disfavoring
trying to discourage absenteeism
b
: to dissuade or attempt to dissuade from doing something
tried to discourage her from going
discourager
noun
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
Meanwhile, Beijing has reportedly been discouraging local firms from buying Nvidia chips.
—
Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025
Luckily, lots of matcha cups also come with a whisk holder, which discourages bacteria formation—like this handmade set that will easily fit in with your robust collection of Italian splatterware.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 10 Oct. 2025
The entire crop of players with serious money left on their deals endured long, discouraging stretches this season where their contracts looked like albatrosses.
—Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Experts said stringent requirements to document their work could discourage people who are otherwise eligible from applying.
—Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discourage
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Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025
Luckily, lots of matcha cups also come with a whisk holder, which discourages bacteria formation—like this handmade set that will easily fit in with your robust collection of Italian splatterware.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 10 Oct. 2025
The entire crop of players with serious money left on their deals endured long, discouraging stretches this season where their contracts looked like albatrosses.
—Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Experts said stringent requirements to document their work could discourage people who are otherwise eligible from applying.
—Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discourage
Cite this Entry
“Discourage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discourage. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
discourage
verb
dis·cour·age
dis-ˈkər-ij
-ˈkə-rij
discouraged; discouraging
1
: to lessen the courage or confidence of : dishearten
didn't let losing discourage me
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