dispirit

verb

dis·​pir·​it (ˌ)di-ˈspir-ət How to pronounce dispirit (audio)
-ˈspi-rət
dispirited; dispiriting; dispirits

transitive verb

: to deprive of morale or enthusiasm
dispirited adjective
dispiritedly adverb
dispiritedness noun

Examples of dispirit in a Sentence

dispirited by the overwhelming amount of information needed to write the report
Recent Examples on the Web While many artists said they were dispirited by the slow pace of progress, others said they were encouraged by recent efforts to bring attention to the disparities. Javier C. Hernández, New York Times, 16 June 2023 Though some aspects of the fight are dispiriting — there’s lots of footage of crassly stubborn sports fans — there are also advancements to treasure, like one non-Native teen turning her education into a successful campaign to change her school’s name. Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2023 Even so, the cable news industry dialed up a whole day of dispiriting, and often very dumb, wall-to-wall coverage. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 4 May 2023 In a response that left many professional writers dispirited, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers — the trade association that represents most of the industry’s big entertainment companies — rejected that proposal. Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 2 May 2023 Instead, the Kentucky quarterback languished in the green room through 31 picks, looking increasingly dispirited as Thursday night wore on. Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2023 Progress on this front is halting, however, as reflected by dispiriting socioeconomic realities in Greenland — not least a severely high suicide rate among young men in the country. Guy Lodge, Variety, 27 Apr. 2023 Some may find that notion dispiriting. Madeleine Kearns, National Review, 2 Apr. 2023 This commodification of womanhood is dispiriting, albeit unsurprising. Coralie Kraft, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dispirit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

dis- + spirit

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dispirit was in 1647

Dictionary Entries Near dispirit

Cite this Entry

“Dispirit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dispirit. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dispirit

verb
dis·​pir·​it (ˈ)dis-ˈpir-ət How to pronounce dispirit (audio)
: to deprive of cheerful spirit : dishearten
dispiritedly adverb
dispiritedness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on dispirit

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