as in disheartening
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as in discouraging
to lessen the courage or confidence of
dispirited by the overwhelming amount of information needed to write the report
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Recent Examples of dispiriting
Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 9 Apr. 2026
That opened the door for Ramon Laureano to deliver the knockout blow in the form of an RBI single to left, ultimately handing the Red Sox a dispiriting 3-2 loss.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
Uddin said there are challenges to operating a food pantry at a high volume, but none more dispiriting than having to say no.
—Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
The 5-2 loss was Toronto’s third straight coming out of the Olympic break and third straight display of dejected, dispiriting, flat and admittedly embarrassing hockey.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2026
Some might take issue that actual recordings get used, but given the message this expertly made film so emphatically presents, that haunting voice makes the film all that more powerful, meaningful and dispiriting.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
In Week 16, Detroit had a first and goal from the 1-yard line in the final seconds against the Pittsburgh Steelers but failed to score the go-ahead touchdown in a dispiriting loss.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 26 Dec. 2025
Then there’s the somewhat dispiriting fact that stadium-level rock bands are dwindling for younger generations, so much so that these offers to push out older acts are almost done by necessity.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
But in today’s political rhetoric, words increasingly tend toward corrosive and dispiriting.
—The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Oct. 2025
Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 27 May 2026
The general topic of desultory conversation was not the dispiriting trial of the present but the livelier intrigue of courtroom tech-dramas past—of Elizabeth Holmes, which inspired particular nostalgia, or Sam Bankman-Fried.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 20 May 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
After a honeymoon research period, Schlamminger at times found the work dispiriting.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 7 May 2026
All three are mired in different, dispiriting versions of mid-life crises, and get involved in a kinky kinda sorta love triangle.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Bay Hill may feel like unfinished business for Morikawa after a dispiriting runner-up finish in 2025.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
For those of Republican persuasion, the coming election should be dispiriting for a party that once ruled the Lake County political roost.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
There’s no shortage of dispiriting news, but Wednesday’s gutting of the Washington Post staff was particularly lousy.
—Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
And so that’s the dispiriting, disquieting aspect of the story.
—Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 9 Apr. 2026
That opened the door for Ramon Laureano to deliver the knockout blow in the form of an RBI single to left, ultimately handing the Red Sox a dispiriting 3-2 loss.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
Uddin said there are challenges to operating a food pantry at a high volume, but none more dispiriting than having to say no.
—Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
The 5-2 loss was Toronto’s third straight coming out of the Olympic break and third straight display of dejected, dispiriting, flat and admittedly embarrassing hockey.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2026
Some might take issue that actual recordings get used, but given the message this expertly made film so emphatically presents, that haunting voice makes the film all that more powerful, meaningful and dispiriting.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
In Week 16, Detroit had a first and goal from the 1-yard line in the final seconds against the Pittsburgh Steelers but failed to score the go-ahead touchdown in a dispiriting loss.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 26 Dec. 2025
Then there’s the somewhat dispiriting fact that stadium-level rock bands are dwindling for younger generations, so much so that these offers to push out older acts are almost done by necessity.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
But in today’s political rhetoric, words increasingly tend toward corrosive and dispiriting.
—The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
And, as the season wound to a dispiriting close, there was literal infighting in the dressing room between Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni.
—Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 27 May 2026
The general topic of desultory conversation was not the dispiriting trial of the present but the livelier intrigue of courtroom tech-dramas past—of Elizabeth Holmes, which inspired particular nostalgia, or Sam Bankman-Fried.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 20 May 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
After a honeymoon research period, Schlamminger at times found the work dispiriting.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 7 May 2026
All three are mired in different, dispiriting versions of mid-life crises, and get involved in a kinky kinda sorta love triangle.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Bay Hill may feel like unfinished business for Morikawa after a dispiriting runner-up finish in 2025.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
For those of Republican persuasion, the coming election should be dispiriting for a party that once ruled the Lake County political roost.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
There’s no shortage of dispiriting news, but Wednesday’s gutting of the Washington Post staff was particularly lousy.
—Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispiriting
Adjective
-
This can be quite disheartening.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
-
And now this disheartening accounting error.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For instance, the federal permitting process is notoriously long and costly, discouraging the development of domestic production capacity.—
Wayne Winegarden,
Oc Register,
7 June 2026
-
Now the rise of AI is discouraging engagement with any human beings at all; instead, more and more people are forming their views in conversation with a machine that lacks moral sense.—
Jeffrey Rosen,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
Adjective
-
And in the worst cases — a scenario that plays out with dismaying regularity — the executive who championed the project has moved on to another job entirely.—
George Heller,
HollywoodReporter,
6 May 2026
-
This dismaying course of events reflects a major problem with bio-pics: that the involvement of interested parties—whether the subjects themselves, their families, or other rights holders—risks distorting a life story by sanitizing it, leaving out events that would make the subject look bad.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The documentary’s contradiction is right there, enthralling us with the wild achievements Potter pulled off and frustrating us with his bombast, leading us to ponder whether, as The Dark Wizard suggests, either could exist without the other.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
No question, the end of the season was deflating and demoralizing.—
Aaron Portzline,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
-
The ball—true to Brown’s original design—is always humming around at high speed, finding the right man and confounding the defenses that the team’s sheer force keeps demoralizing.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
The abruptness is disconcerting but can be overcome by learning the pedal’s nuances.—
James Raia,
Mercury News,
1 May 2026
-
That is really, really, really disconcerting.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Running for governor has proved to be much more daunting.—
Dakota Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
-
The idea of becoming the next Alix Earle may feel impossible, but becoming the next largest creator in your space is a different, less daunting goal.—
Stephanie Hind,
Rolling Stone,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
The underlying numbers are just as troubling.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
-
The twin offensives are targeting Hamas and Hezbollah respectively, though critics argue that the operations are motivated at least in part by domestic politics — Israel is due to hold elections by October — and are amplifying troubling humanitarian situations in Gaza and Lebanon.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dispiriting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispiriting. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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