discourage

(dĭ-skûr'ĭj, -skŭr'-)
tr.v., -aged, -ag·ing, -ag·es.

1. To deprive of confidence, hope, or spirit.
2. To hamper by discouraging; deter.
3. To try to prevent by expressing disapproval or raising objections.

[Middle English discoragen, from Old French descoragier : des-, dis- + corage, courage; see courage.]

discourageable dis·cour'age·a·ble adj.
discourager dis·cour'ag·er n.
discouragingly dis·cour'ag·ing·ly adv.

SYNONYMS   discourage, dishearten, dispirit. These verbs mean to make less hopeful or enthusiastic: researchers who were discouraged by the problem's magnitude; apathy that disheartened the instructor; a failure that dispirited the team. See also synonyms at dissuade.
ANTONYM  encourage

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verb

1. To make less hopeful or enthusiastic: dishearten, dispirit. See help/harm/harmless.
2. To persuade (a person) not to do something: deter, dissuade, divert. Idioms: talk out of. See persuasion/dissuasion.

v

Definition: deter, dissuade; restrain
Antonyms: encourage, inspire, spur on

v

Definition: dishearten, dispirit
Antonyms: encourage, hearten, inspire, inspirit

IN BRIEF: To lose confidence. Also: To make less appealing.

Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow. — Aristotle (384-322 BC), Greek philosopher, student of Plato, tutor of Alexander the Great.

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For a list of words related to discourage, see:

• Opposition, Disagreement, and Attack - discourage: (vb) hinder by disfavoring

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See words rhyming with "discouraging."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Discourage.

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - tage modet fra, råde fra, misbillige

Nederlands (Dutch)
ontmoedigen, weerhouden, afraden, belemmeren

Français (French)
v. tr. - décourager, abattre, détourner, dissuader qn de qch, déconseiller, repousser (une amitié)

Deutsch (German)
v. - entmutigen, abraten, abhalten

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - αποθαρρύνω, αποκαρδιώνω, αποτρέπω, αποδοκιμάζω

Italiano (Italian)
scoraggiare, demoralizzare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - desencorajar

Русский (Russian)
отговаривать, расхолаживать

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - oponerse, resistir, desanimar, desalentar

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - göra modfälld, motarbeta

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
使气馁, 阻碍

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 使氣餒, 阻礙

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 실망시키다, 단념 시키다, 훼방 놓다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 落胆させる, 思いとどまらせる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يثبط العزم, ينصح بالعدول عن, يخوف, يحاول منع شئ بإظهار الرفض أو صنع العقبات‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮ערם קשיים, מנע, ייאש, הרתיע, ריפה ידי-‬

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