discouragement

as in despair
the state of being discouraged I tried desperately to avoid discouragement after failing the bar exam twice

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of discouragement But Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling on gender-affirming care for transgender youth was the kind of attention many advocates didn’t want and the capper to a month of discouragement. Andy Rose, CNN Money, 22 June 2025 Even minor dating setbacks may trigger self-doubt or discouragement. Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025 At the time, Joel was also passionate about motorcycles, despite both the record and the insurance company's discouragement. Marina Watts, People.com, 6 June 2025 Similarly, entrepreneurs should extract valuable insights from rejections while discarding the discouragement. Sarah Hernholm, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for discouragement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discouragement
Noun
  • There were, however, occasional moments of despair rather than delight.
    Andy Mitten, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025
  • Not all rabbis spoke from the same ideological place, but a common thread was their effort to assert Jewish moral vocabulary in a moment of despair.
    Asaf Elia-Shalev, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • But the revised plan, to the dismay of Bolton and other residents, doesn’t carve out the garden.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 9 Aug. 2025
  • McIlroy elected to skip the St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, much to the dismay of at least one PGA Tour organizer.
    Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Discouragement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discouragement. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.

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