as in frustrating
to lessen the courage or confidence of
we were disheartened by the news that our grandmother was seriously ill
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in discouraging
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disheartening
Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2025
Seeing that textbook go to waste felt very disheartening.
—Sami Khan, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025
Essence, 18 Sep. 2025
Fear of failure Failure can be disheartening, embarrassing and often downright devastating — especially in entrepreneurship, when your reputation and finances could be on the line.
—Ashton Jackson, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025
Everyone is responsible for this disappointing, disheartening 0-2 start the Dolphins are on, and that includes the media that’s covering the team.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
Expert breaks down 'disheartening' normalization of political violence.
—FOXNews.com, 12 Sep. 2025
The Dilemma for Women Leaders For women in leadership, this moment can feel particularly disheartening.
—C200, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Headwinds can be disheartening, but lawmakers don’t easily give up.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 4 Sep. 2025
But for a teenager itching to see more of Britain—and eventually the world—that lack of curiosity was disheartening.
—Rohan Banerjee, Time, 23 Aug. 2025
So, the idea of the teen driver owing an additional $4,200 on the SUV after paying fees and putting money down ($1,500-$2,000) is disheartening to say the least.
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
Verb
At the end of the day, the result was a bit disheartening.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2025
Seeing that textbook go to waste felt very disheartening.
—Sami Khan, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Though disheartening, its abrupt cancellation wasn’t uncommon, especially for television shows that featured Black talent.
—Essence, 18 Sep. 2025
Fear of failure Failure can be disheartening, embarrassing and often downright devastating — especially in entrepreneurship, when your reputation and finances could be on the line.
—Ashton Jackson, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025
Everyone is responsible for this disappointing, disheartening 0-2 start the Dolphins are on, and that includes the media that’s covering the team.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
Expert breaks down 'disheartening' normalization of political violence.
—FOXNews.com, 12 Sep. 2025
The Dilemma for Women Leaders For women in leadership, this moment can feel particularly disheartening.
—C200, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Headwinds can be disheartening, but lawmakers don’t easily give up.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 4 Sep. 2025
But for a teenager itching to see more of Britain—and eventually the world—that lack of curiosity was disheartening.
—Rohan Banerjee, Time, 23 Aug. 2025
So, the idea of the teen driver owing an additional $4,200 on the SUV after paying fees and putting money down ($1,500-$2,000) is disheartening to say the least.
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disheartening
Verb
-
Chinese regulators are now discouraging domestic tech giants from buying Nvidia chips, the Financial Times reported, citing unnamed sources.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
21 Sep. 2025
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Beyond these issues of fatigue and trust, poor user experience can also go a long way in discouraging people from using security workflows.—
Eyal Benishti,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
For some—for me—the experience of certain kinds of anxiety has a disconcerting synesthetic quality.—
Scott Stossel,
The Atlantic,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The disconcerting answer is that nobody knows.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But the drum sound wasn’t nearly as dismaying as the studio’s piano, which kept slipping out of tune.—
Peter Ames Carlin,
Rolling Stone,
13 Aug. 2025
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With a six-game deficit in the American League wild card hunt entering play on Monday, the Angels may be only a few series away from repeating their dismaying playbook from 2023.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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What was meant to be motivating becomes demoralizing.—
George Bradt,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
To start the season 0-2 can be a bit demoralizing.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Some folks harbor a dispiriting conviction that governments are unable to handle the simplest task.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
22 Aug. 2025
-
Let’s establish all of that up front after the Carolina Panthers’ dispiriting, 20-3 exhibition loss at Houston Saturday.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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States would still govern access, DEA oversight would remain, and businesses would face the daunting task of complying with FDA standards and pharmaceutical-level GMP requirements.—
Robert Hoban,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The psychological journey Mutabazi has taken is, in some ways, more daunting than the physical distances he’s traveled.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Either way, a wrist injury would help explain the rather troubling start for Thomas, who was profiled to be one of the best wide receivers in all of football coming into the 2025 season.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
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Regardless of which direction the program goes at Head Coach, or if Iamaleava will stay for his junior season, the fact that UCLA is already looking towards next year in Week 3 is troubling enough.—
Tyler Small,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Even worse, Sam finds out the troublesome critic is now her new neighbor!—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
18 Sep. 2025
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Weeds In the fall, weeds are often more troublesome than insect pests.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disheartening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disheartening. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
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