as in demoralizing
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in frustrating
to lessen the courage or confidence of
I didn't let losing discourage me from trying again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dissuading
to steer (a person) from an activity or course of action
the higher fines may help discourage drivers from speeding on the highway
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 discouraging
Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026
But the growth was slightly slower than economists expected, and a measure of prices accelerated at its fastest pace since 2022 in a potentially discouraging signal for inflation.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Both hosts often wept as Guthrie described her emotional journey through the increasingly discouraging investigation into her mother’s whereabouts.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026
Still, the latest uptick is a discouraging sign for house hunters as the spring buying season kicks off.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
My own watch party got off to a discouraging start.
—Steven P. Dinkin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026
Admittedly, someone older might be critical or discouraging.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 19 Feb. 2026
Yet seldom is heard a discouraging word when Darnold assesses what happened in New York, Carolina, San Francisco, or Minnesota.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
Their status has been diminished by what has — charitably — been a really discouraging decade, featuring two separate relegations.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Dan Mangan, CNBC, 1 May 2026
Planning presumes a set of ideal conditions for childbearing — conditions most accessible to white, economically secure Americans — while stigmatizing and discouraging the reproduction of others.
—Sonya Borrero, STAT, 1 May 2026
Even that safety net shows how carefully the league is trying to balance discouraging tanking without completely burying bad teams.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
The Charter closes by discouraging the creation of new categories of IP law or extending patent and copyright terms.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Apr. 2026
Investors focused on potentially discouraging numbers underneath the surface, including decelerating growth in trends for its software business.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
With war chests reportedly reaching hundreds of millions, critics—including Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—warn that AI industry influence is chilling debate and discouraging regulation ahead of midterms.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
Bermudez believes the freeway closure may be discouraging visitors from coming into the city this weekend, despite favorable weather.
—Da Lin, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
While discouraging teams from being truly awful has merit, this structure would retain the incentive for middle-of-the-road teams to become worse.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
And the results are downright discouraging.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026
But the growth was slightly slower than economists expected, and a measure of prices accelerated at its fastest pace since 2022 in a potentially discouraging signal for inflation.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Both hosts often wept as Guthrie described her emotional journey through the increasingly discouraging investigation into her mother’s whereabouts.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026
Still, the latest uptick is a discouraging sign for house hunters as the spring buying season kicks off.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
My own watch party got off to a discouraging start.
—Steven P. Dinkin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026
Admittedly, someone older might be critical or discouraging.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 19 Feb. 2026
Yet seldom is heard a discouraging word when Darnold assesses what happened in New York, Carolina, San Francisco, or Minnesota.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
Their status has been diminished by what has — charitably — been a really discouraging decade, featuring two separate relegations.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
Trump's letters to congressional leaders Friday are a volley aimed at discouraging lawmakers in Congress from restricting military action against Iran.
—Dan Mangan, CNBC, 1 May 2026
Planning presumes a set of ideal conditions for childbearing — conditions most accessible to white, economically secure Americans — while stigmatizing and discouraging the reproduction of others.
—Sonya Borrero, STAT, 1 May 2026
Even that safety net shows how carefully the league is trying to balance discouraging tanking without completely burying bad teams.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
The Charter closes by discouraging the creation of new categories of IP law or extending patent and copyright terms.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Apr. 2026
Investors focused on potentially discouraging numbers underneath the surface, including decelerating growth in trends for its software business.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
With war chests reportedly reaching hundreds of millions, critics—including Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—warn that AI industry influence is chilling debate and discouraging regulation ahead of midterms.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
Bermudez believes the freeway closure may be discouraging visitors from coming into the city this weekend, despite favorable weather.
—Da Lin, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
While discouraging teams from being truly awful has merit, this structure would retain the incentive for middle-of-the-road teams to become worse.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discouraging
Adjective
-
The injury to his left knee was demoralizing for Edwards, who was showing progress with a right knee injury that had bothered him for most of the previous month.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Other times, the long wait for permanent housing proves demoralizing.—
Andrew Khouri,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Mack and the Chargers’ defense pressured quarterbacks Jalen Hurts of the Eagles and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs, frustrating them and keeping them out of their comfort zones.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
20 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
In the credit card world, the r/churning subreddit boasts nearly 30,000 weekly visitors, and even has a whole FAQ section about dissuading the average person from engaging in churning, offering several reasons that Fred agrees with.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Elias was convicted in March on one count of second-degree murder, one count of torture, one count of child abuse and two counts of dissuading a witness from reporting a crime, all of which are felonies, the release said.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And now this disheartening accounting error.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Transplant Shock is Avoidable Inviting the opportunity for transplant shock has got to be one of the most disheartening gardening mistakes out there.—
Tessa Cooper,
Southern Living,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Over time, those once-daunting moments have become opportunities — not just to succeed, but to share that success with others, whether through competition or simply hearing the reaction of a crowd.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
-
What Brody and others are trying to dismantle is already part of a daunting corporate and technological superstructure.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Limitations and Considerations While soap can be effective at deterring deer, several factors may influence its success depending on your particular situation.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The new 35-page report calls for quickly boosting troop numbers and military capabilities, and is primarily aimed at deterring Russia, analysts said.—
Semafor Events,
semafor.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The keenness of my letdown was dismaying.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
-
But there’s another side to this story, equally dismaying, which is the abandonment of dissidents as a public cause in the West.—
Bret Stephens,
Mercury News,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
This is the page in the racing program full of numbers, abbreviations and lines that looks intimidating at first.—
Neil Greenberg,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
-
The Chapitos helped Rocha Moya, who has been governor since November 2021, get elected by stealing ballots, as well as kidnapping and intimidating opponents, the document said.—
Tom Winter,
NBC news,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Discouraging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discouraging. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
