as in demoralizing
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Recent Examples of discouraging
Skyler Swisher, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2025
Good air circulation will allow leaves and stems to dry out, discouraging disease.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 12 Apr. 2025
Done the wrong way, feedback can end up discouraging an employee from taking chances or sharing ideas for future projects.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2025
Irrelevant information and inconvenient steps can be frustrating to the end user, discouraging future scans.
—Sharat Potharaju, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
The ten experts criticize Lucas’ new DEI guidance for discouraging these types of workplace trainings by exaggerating employers’ risk of hostile work environment claims by members of majority groups.
—Michelle Travis, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
This has heightened anxiety and burnout among remaining employees, potentially discouraging job changes.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
This win will feel like a weight lifted off the shoulder for Lee, who came into this event after a pair of discouraging performances in his last two tournaments.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
When channels of communication are broken, and topics are escalated without peer collaboration, this may create a perception of hierarchy over collaboration, potentially discouraging others from voicing their opinions or proactively addressing future issues.
—Joao Mendes-Roter, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Verb
Actions by officials in the two countries are also discouraging Canadian tourists from looking south.
—Skyler Swisher, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2025
Good air circulation will allow leaves and stems to dry out, discouraging disease.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 12 Apr. 2025
Done the wrong way, feedback can end up discouraging an employee from taking chances or sharing ideas for future projects.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2025
Irrelevant information and inconvenient steps can be frustrating to the end user, discouraging future scans.
—Sharat Potharaju, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
The ten experts criticize Lucas’ new DEI guidance for discouraging these types of workplace trainings by exaggerating employers’ risk of hostile work environment claims by members of majority groups.
—Michelle Travis, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
This has heightened anxiety and burnout among remaining employees, potentially discouraging job changes.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
This win will feel like a weight lifted off the shoulder for Lee, who came into this event after a pair of discouraging performances in his last two tournaments.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
When channels of communication are broken, and topics are escalated without peer collaboration, this may create a perception of hierarchy over collaboration, potentially discouraging others from voicing their opinions or proactively addressing future issues.
—Joao Mendes-Roter, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discouraging
Adjective
-
For the Congolese government, the ineffective Western responses follow a dismaying pattern.—
Michela Wrong,
Foreign Affairs,
3 Mar. 2025
-
Americans, and a dismaying number of politicians, keep crying for a crackdown on crimes that aren’t happening.—
F.K. Plous,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Building a football culture from not very much seems like a daunting prospect, but Pomroy does not seem too intimidated.—
Nick Miller,
The Athletic,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Getting a foothold in the fashion industry can be daunting for anyone—but in Christian Allaire’s case, eking out a place for himself as an Ojibwe journalist from the Nipissing First Nation reserve in rural Ontario was especially challenging.—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Relapse is alluring, Bart is intimidating, and Son is mysterious.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Mar. 2025
-
While the market’s recent volatility can be intimidating, experts generally recommend investors focus on their long-term goals.—
Ana Teresa Solá,
CNBC,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Algorithms are nothing new for dating apps, but reducing the human element in communications seems a little troublesome.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
21 Apr. 2025
-
María Paz Peñaloza Cabrera, 31, went to the doctor’s Astoria home March 28 to get troublesome butt implants removed, authorities say.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Trump imperils Harvard’s nonprofit status Don Ingber, a renowned biologist at Harvard, woke up this week to a troubling email.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
-
From around 2006 to 2010, a series of major business downturns, including a bankruptcy filing and several key lawsuits, led Kinkade into a downward spiral of troubling public behavior and substance abuse.—
Gary Goldstein,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Jack, the first Black world heavyweight champion who is considered one of the most important boxers of all time, was active during the Jim Crow era, upsetting white supremacists with his success and his marriages to white women.—
Yinka Elujoba,
Vulture,
25 Apr. 2025
-
How upsetting is this to people who are national security professionals?—
Steve Inskeep,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Ghosts that wink could be scary but the face Sal makes is disturbing in other ways.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2025
-
In cases where advertising is inevitable, some prefer ads that appeal on a personal level over messaging that can be inappropriate or, even, disturbing and offensive.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Bond traders in 2025: The bond market sell-off is more worrisome than the one in stocks.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Given that, over the course of the show, White has written exactly one Black main character (though she’s appeared twice), that might be worrisome.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Discouraging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discouraging. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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