as in despair
the state of being discouraged
I tried desperately to avoid discouragement after failing the bar exam twice
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Recent Examples of discouragement
Keep your cool, adjust expectations, and don’t let discouragement bring you down during this early period of the year.
—
Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 4 Jan. 2026
Feelings of isolation, frustration, discouragement, anxiety, burnout, and anger are all common manifestations of diabetes distress, Diana Licalzi, RD, a certified diabetes educator and the cofounder of Reversing T2D, tells SELF.
—Beth Krietsch, SELF, 11 Nov. 2025
Labor market discouragement can come from weakness in the overall job market, shifts in industrial composition, or barriers or constraints that affect specific workers.
—Kathryn Anne Edwards, Twin Cities, 27 Oct. 2025
Probably, despite Todd’s discouragement.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discouragement
Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 4 Jan. 2026
Feelings of isolation, frustration, discouragement, anxiety, burnout, and anger are all common manifestations of diabetes distress, Diana Licalzi, RD, a certified diabetes educator and the cofounder of Reversing T2D, tells SELF.
—Beth Krietsch, SELF, 11 Nov. 2025
Labor market discouragement can come from weakness in the overall job market, shifts in industrial composition, or barriers or constraints that affect specific workers.
—Kathryn Anne Edwards, Twin Cities, 27 Oct. 2025
Probably, despite Todd’s discouragement.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discouragement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discouragement
Noun
-
This optimism turns into despair not one second into the organizing effort, when Ben discovers that his oven is out of commission.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Yet other oil surges did not lead to deep economic despair.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This had caused great dismay for my grandparents—my grandfather in particular.—
Han Ong,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
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When Frank Hall constructed the original building in the late 19th century, his crew stumbled upon a vein of gold—but much to his dismay, his request to dig into it was denied by town officials.—
Chelsea Brasted,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Discouragement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discouragement. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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