1
as in to frustrate
to lessen the courage or confidence of
I didn't let losing discourage me from trying again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to dissuade
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
as in demoralizing
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 discourage
Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 4 May 2025
The Trump Administration has implemented a number of policies that are discouraging current and prospective international students:
ICE officials have seized and deported students legally in the country who have apparently done no wrong other than speaking out against Trump’s policies.
—John A. Ragosta, Baltimore Sun, 4 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for discourage
Verb
In 2019, former Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) discouraged Clinton from running again.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 4 May 2025
The Trump Administration has implemented a number of policies that are discouraging current and prospective international students:
ICE officials have seized and deported students legally in the country who have apparently done no wrong other than speaking out against Trump’s policies.
—John A. Ragosta, Baltimore Sun, 4 May 2025
Verb
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
See All Example Sentences for discourage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discourage
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
Adjective
-
As the complexity of SLED can be daunting, it is recommended to start small and learn how SLED contracting works.—
Derek Hoyt,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
-
Jiri’s path forward with a big sprawling, expensive festival deep in the shadows of Cannes, Berlin and Venice was fraught with economic hurdles and a daunting search for purpose and relevance in 1994.—
Steven Gaydos,
Variety,
9 May 2025
Adjective
-
Teladoc’s BetterHelp mental health unit has been a particularly troublesome business as paying users dropped off in the years following the pandemic.—
Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
5 May 2025
-
More lastingly troublesome is the general blindness to anything but race in her work.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
Adjective
-
That historical tension—between the promise of scientific freedom and the peril of political control—may now be resurfacing in troubling ways.—
Alondra Nelson,
Time,
13 May 2025
-
Grammy-winning artist John Legend opened up about the troubling transformation of longtime collaborator and friend Kanye West in a candid interview with The London Times published on Saturday (May 10).—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
12 May 2025
Adjective
-
Twin Day, a common theme, could be upsetting for kids who don’t have a friend willing to match outfits with them.—
Julie Beck,
The Atlantic,
8 May 2025
-
Lawler: This was really upsetting to many white Virginians who saw the Ohio Valley as their natural right.—
Ari Daniel,
Smithsonian Magazine,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The lack of caring about my childhood was so disturbing.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
28 Apr. 2025
-
Instead, this is yet another disturbing reminder that our society values certain lives more than others.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Legal scholars say the administration’s combative response to the Supreme Court’s order borders on outright defiance and is part of a deeply worrisome and escalating trend of Mr. Trump’s clashes with the courts.—
Natalie Proulx,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
-
That's worrisome because that group now makes up an outsize share of consumption.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Squeezing into the narrow confines, the clang of the metal doors closing and the nearness of their neighbors can be unsettling, if not downright dangerous.—
Dana O'Neil,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
-
That's unsettling for Mobile native Darron Patterson.—
Debbie Elliott,
NPR,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Discourage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discourage. Accessed 18 May. 2025.
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