Synonyms of dispiriting

dispiriting 1 of 2

adjective

as in disheartening

Related Words

• disheartening
• discouraging
• dismaying
• demoralizing
• disconcerting
• daunting
• troubling
• troublesome
• unsettling
• distressing
• disturbing
• discomfiting
• disquieting
• worrisome
• upsetting
• perturbing
• frightening
• troublous
• nagging
• discomforting
• chilling
• scary
• alarming
• discomposing
• terrifying
• nasty
• terrible
• horrifying
• ghastly
• dreadful
• shocking
• horrible
• formidable
• persecutory
• dire
• frightful
• horrendous
• dread
• fearful
• forbidding
• fearsome
• harassing
• direful
• persecutive
• intimidating
• hair-raising

Dissimilar Words

• reassuring
• settling
• soothing
• calming
• comforting
• narcotic
• relaxing
• dreamy
• inviting
• sedative
• quieting
• tranquilizing
• consoling
• lulling
• pacifying

dispiriting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of dispirit

as in discouraging

to lessen the courage or confidence of

dispirited by the overwhelming amount of information needed to write the report

Synonyms & Similar Words

• discouraging
• frustrating
• disheartening
• daunting
• unnerving
• demoralizing
• frightening
• dismaying
• intimidating
• horrifying
• troubling
• chilling
• distressing
• worrying
• afflicting
• unmanning
• scaring
• bothering
• depressing
• throwing cold water on
• bullying
• saddening
• weighing
• trying
• debilitating
• browbeating
• undermining
• deadening
• cowing
• weakening
• vexing
• dampening
• enfeebling
• irking
• damping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• encouraging
• cheering
• invigorating
• heartening
• enlivening
• reinforcing
• enforcing
• nerving
• exciting
• emboldening
• animating
• strengthening
• reassuring
• steeling
• assuring
• gladdening
• stimulating
• fortifying
• stirring
• inspiring
• energizing
• buoying (up)
• provoking
• galvanizing
• lifting
• rallying
• quickening
• boosting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dispiriting

Adjective

For Tampa, what was even more dispiriting than falling to 0-3 was that quarterback Baker Mayfield left with a dislocated thumb that puts his active league-high streak of 54 consecutive starts in jeopardy. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026

That means that the richest and most powerful country in the world has seen a dramatic and dispiriting decline in opportunity for the less well off. — John Lanchester, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

The dispiriting run that followed left Moyes vulnerable, but the Scot, who first managed the club between 2002-13 before leaving for the Manchester United job, has now become a figure of reassurance. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026

And the movie ends with one of the most dispiriting twists in mainstream movie history. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026

That said, the more dispiriting possibility is that Gluck as a creator has gradually become too insulated from the industry’s rougher edges to recognize that his work makes an impact regardless of his intentions. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026

The second explanation is less technical but more dispiriting. — John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Aug. 2026

The exits of the two men, who both identify as gay, will also mark a dispiriting step backward for LGBTQ+ representation in the C‑suite. — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 20 June 2026

And so that’s the dispiriting, disquieting aspect of the story. — Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 9 Apr. 2026

Verb

That potential season-salvaging win came after two dispiriting Ls to division opponents. — Elise Devlin, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2026

The win eases some of the pressure on coach Lincoln Riley and the Trojans, who improved sharply on defense after last week's dispiriting home loss to Oregon. — ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026

And Clark put up a dispiriting performance, finishing with only 18 points and four assists. — Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026

Haina job seeker on hiatus Coda says his mental health during his job search, while dispiriting, was less affected by the tepid responses because his family had been saving aggressively. — Sarah Jackson jennifer Liu, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026

And yet for God’s sake, just look at the man—at his dispiriting attempts at humor, his weirdly off-putting outfits, his incessant posting of banalities and faux profundities and extreme-right disinformation on social media. — Mark O’Connell, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026

Tess, meanwhile, suggests a more vulnerable reality behind that brittle exterior—a faith that talent and perseverance can pay off, a desire for agency amid dispiriting circumstances. — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 15 June 2026

After a long international flight, the lines at passport control and immigration can be dispiriting. — Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2026

That dispiriting news, coupled with consumer sentiment plunging to the lowest point ever recorded, should be enough to set off alarm bells and trigger talk of the economy flirting with recession. — Greg Petro, Forbes.com, 19 May 2026