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Disheartening - Meaning, Definition & English Examples

Disheartening means causing someone to lose hope, enthusiasm, or confidence. It describes situations or news that feel discouraging or demoralizing, often leaving a person feeling disappointed or defeated.

disheartening

/dɪsˈhɑrtnɪŋ/ /dɪsˈhɑːtnɪŋ/

Definition:

Causing someone to lose determination or confidence; discouraging.

Synonyms:

discouraging, demoralizing, dispiriting, depressing

Part of Speech:

adjective

Antonyms:

encouraging, heartening

Common Collocations:

disheartening news, disheartening results, disheartening experience

Derivatives:

dishearten, disheartened, dishearteningly

Usage Tips:

Use "disheartening" to describe situations or events that undermine morale or hope.

Common Phrases:

a disheartening setback, find it disheartening, utterly disheartening

Etymology:

From "dis-" (opposite) + "hearten" (to encourage), first used in the 17th century.

Examples:

  • 1. The news of the canceled trip was disheartening for the students.
  • 2. His repeated failures were deeply disheartening but he kept trying.
  • 3. The team found the loss disheartening after months of hard work.
  • 4. It’s disheartening to see so much litter in the park.

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