as in to discourage
to lessen the courage or confidence of
we were disheartened by the news that our grandmother was seriously ill
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Recent Examples of dishearten
As for the media coverage surrounding his death, the false narratives are disheartening and disrespectful to the legacy of a wonderful man.
—
Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Arsenal go into the break disappointed, but not disheartened.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Add a breast cancer diagnosis—with its potential surgeries, scars and treatment side effects—and the pressure to conform to outdated beauty standards can feel disheartening.
—Tabitha Britt, Flow Space, 30 Oct. 2025
Anta, the son of Cuban and Colombian immigrants, says he's disheartened by the images.
—NPR, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dishearten
Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Arsenal go into the break disappointed, but not disheartened.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Add a breast cancer diagnosis—with its potential surgeries, scars and treatment side effects—and the pressure to conform to outdated beauty standards can feel disheartening.
—Tabitha Britt, Flow Space, 30 Oct. 2025
Anta, the son of Cuban and Colombian immigrants, says he's disheartened by the images.
—NPR, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dishearten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dishearten
Verb
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Despite being one of the top defenses all season, the last month has been discouraging.—
Austin Mock,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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This design helps prevent condensation buildup and discourages rodents and pests, while still reducing the risk of damage from falling debris during winter storms.—
Kamron Sanders,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Games that are too easy bore older players, while overly complex games can frustrate younger ones.—
Clarissa Brincat,
Popular Science,
8 Jan. 2026
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But while Coogan racked up millions of views for his YouTube explainers about political figures like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, he was frustrated by the hours of prep work that went into producing a single episode.—
Julia Black,
Vanity Fair,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dishearten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dishearten. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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