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discourage

 - 3 dictionary results

dis⋅cour⋅age

  [di-skur-ij, -skuhr-] verb, -aged, -ag⋅ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to deprive of courage, hope, or confidence; dishearten; dispirit.
2. to dissuade (usually fol. by from).
3. to obstruct by opposition or difficulty; hinder: Low prices discourage industry.
4. to express or make clear disapproval of; frown upon: to discourage the expression of enthusiasm.
–verb (used without object)
5. to become discouraged: a person who discourages easily.
Use discourage in a Sentence
Origin:
1400–50; late ME discoragen < MF descorager, OF descoragier. See dis- 1 , courage

Related forms:
dis⋅cour⋅ag⋅er, noun
dis⋅cour⋅age⋅a⋅ble, adjective
dis⋅cour⋅ag⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. daunt, depress, deject, overawe, cow, abash. Discourage, dismay, intimidate mean to dishearten or frighten. To discourage is to dishearten by expressing disapproval or by suggesting that a contemplated action or course will probably fail: He was discouraged from going into business. To dismay is to dishearten completely: Her husband's philandering dismayed her. To intimidate is to frighten, as by threats of force, violence, or dire consequences: to intimidate a witness.

Antonyms:
1. encourage.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To discourage
dis·cour·age   (dĭ-skûr'ĭj, -skŭr'-)   
tr.v.   dis·cour·aged, dis·cour·ag·ing, dis·cour·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.]
dis·cour'age·a·ble adj., dis·cour'ag·er n., dis·cour'ag·ing·ly adv.
Synonyms: 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
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

discourage 
1437, from M.Fr. descourager, from O.Fr. descouragier, from des- "away" + corage (see courage).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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