What does dejecting mean?
"Dejecting" is the present participle and adjectival form of the verb "deject," which means to lower someone's spirits or leave them despondent. Used as an adjective, it describes anything that produces such an effect — dejecting news, a dejecting performance, a dejecting stretch of grey weather. The word belongs to a fairly formal register; in casual speech most people reach for "depressing" or "discouraging" instead, so encountering "dejecting" often signals careful or literary writing. Its connotation is firmly negative, but it denotes ordinary discouragement rather than severe despair. A useful distinction pairs it with its cousin "dejected": circumstances are dejecting, while people become dejected as a result. The verb derives from the Latin deicere, "to throw down," via the past participle deiectus — literally, to cast someone's spirits downward. Though not among the most common English words, "dejecting" offers writers a precise, slightly elevated way to name the causes of gloom rather than merely its symptoms.
Causing sadness or loss of hope; dispiriting.
"It was a dejecting end to what had promised to be a triumphant season."
Formal or literary register; more common in writing than speech.
Present participle of "deject": making someone feel sad or dispirited.
"The endless delays were dejecting even the most patient travelers."
It's the mirror image of "dejected": a rainy Monday is dejecting, but you are the one who ends up dejected.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dejecting
"Dejecting" comes from the verb "deject," borrowed from Latin deicere, formed from de- (down) plus iacere (to throw). The Latin past participle deiectus meant "thrown down," and English adopted the verb in the late Middle English period with both literal senses (to cast down) and figurative ones (to dishearten). The participial form "dejecting" developed naturally from this verb, functioning both grammatically and as an adjective. It shares its root with words like "inject," "eject," and "project," all built on iacere.
Related word forms
How dejecting is actually used
"Dejecting" is somewhat formal and literary compared with everyday alternatives like "depressing" or "discouraging." It appears most often in written English describing experiences, news, or atmospheres rather than people. As an adjective it carries a negative connotation without necessarily implying clinical depression.
Easily confused with dejecting
"Dejected" describes the person who feels low in spirits, while "dejecting" describes something that causes that feeling.