Origin: 1400–50; late Middle English discoragen <
Middle French descorager, Old French descoragier. See dis-1, courage Related formsdis·cour·ag·er, noun
dis·cour·age·a·ble, adjective
dis·cour·ag·ing·ly, adverb
o·ver·dis·cour·age, verb (used with object), -aged, -ag·ing.
pre·dis·cour·age, verb (used with object), -aged, -ag·ing.
EXPANDun·dis·cour·age·a·ble, adjective
un·dis·cour·aged, adjective
un·dis·cour·ag·ing, adjective
un·dis·cour·ag·ing·ly, adverb
COLLAPSESynonyms
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.