What does discouraged mean?
Discouraged describes a state of diminished hope, confidence, or enthusiasm, typically following setbacks, criticism, or repeated failure. A person may feel discouraged about a project, discouraged by a lack of progress, or simply discouraged after a difficult day. In its second sense, the word applies to actions and behaviors that are actively deterred — smoking may be discouraged in public places, or certain practices discouraged by company policy. The word derives ultimately from the Latin cor, meaning 'heart,' via Old French: to be discouraged is etymologically to be deprived of heart or courage. Its connotations are gently negative but not severe — a discouraged person is downcast rather than devastated, which makes the word useful for expressing sympathy without alarm. It pairs naturally with verbs like feel, become, grow, and get, and with intensifiers such as easily and deeply. Related forms include the verb discourage, the adjective discouraging for causes rather than feelings, and the noun discouragement.
Having lost confidence, hope, or enthusiasm; disheartened.
"The team was discouraged by their narrow defeat but resolved to train harder."
Usually predicative when describing people; attributive use appears chiefly in fixed technical phrases such as 'discouraged workers.'
Past tense and past participle of discourage: to deprive of confidence or hope, or to try to prevent something by making it seem unattractive or difficult.
"Her parents discouraged her from pursuing a career in acting."
In this verbal use, the pattern 'discourage someone from doing something' is standard.
At its root lies the Latin cor — 'heart' — so to be discouraged is literally to have your heart taken away.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of discouraged
Discouraged comes from the verb discourage, formed in late Middle English from the Old French descoragier, itself built on Latin cor (cord-), meaning 'heart.' The original sense was literally 'to deprive of heart or courage.' English acquired both discourage and its opposite encourage around the same period, and the participial adjective discouraged developed naturally from the verb. Cognates sharing the same Latin root include courage, courageous, and cordial.
Related word forms
How discouraged is actually used
Standard in both formal and informal registers across British and American English. When describing people, it usually appears predicatively ('he felt discouraged') rather than attributively; attributive use ('a discouraged worker') is common mainly in economic and technical contexts, such as 'discouraged workers' in labor statistics.
Easily confused with discouraged
'Discouraged' describes the person who has lost heart, while 'discouraging' describes the thing that causes the loss of heart.