dishearten
verb
dis·heart·en
(ˌ)dis-ˈhär-tᵊn 
disheartened; disheartening; disheartens
: to cause to lose hope, enthusiasm, or courage : to cause to lose spirit or morale
were disheartened by the news
Examples of dishearten in a Sentence
The conflict between their families disheartened them.
we were disheartened by the news that our grandmother was seriously ill
Recent Examples on the Web
Add a breast cancer diagnosis—with its potential surgeries, scars and treatment side effects—and the pressure to conform to outdated beauty standards can feel disheartening.
—
Tabitha Britt, Flow Space, 30 Oct. 2025
Anta, the son of Cuban and Colombian immigrants, says he's disheartened by the images.
—NPR, 29 Oct. 2025
Members of the community were shocked and disheartened to learn of the alleged incident.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
That’s left doting parents like Joy disheartened.
—Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dishearten
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.
Tabitha Britt, Flow Space, 30 Oct. 2025
Anta, the son of Cuban and Colombian immigrants, says he's disheartened by the images.
—NPR, 29 Oct. 2025
Members of the community were shocked and disheartened to learn of the alleged incident.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
That’s left doting parents like Joy disheartened.
—Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dishearten
Cite this Entry
“Dishearten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dishearten. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dishearten
verb
dis·heart·en
(ˈ)dis-ˈhärt-ᵊn
: to deprive of courage and hope : discourage
disheartening
adjective
-ˈhärt-niŋ
-ᵊn-iŋ
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share