What does disheartenment mean?
Disheartenment is a noun describing the state of having lost courage, hope, or enthusiasm — the sinking feeling that follows repeated setbacks, rejection, or prolonged difficulty. It derives from the verb 'dishearten', formed in the early modern period from 'dis-' (expressing reversal or removal) plus 'hearten' (to give heart to), so it literally means the removal of 'heart' in its old sense of courage and spirit. The word belongs chiefly to formal or literary registers: one might read of 'the disheartenment of the troops' or feel 'a sense of disheartenment' after failed efforts. In ordinary conversation, people tend to prefer 'discouragement' or the adjective 'disheartened'. Its connotation is one of gradual erosion of morale rather than acute despair, which makes it useful for describing the quiet toll of persistent adversity.
nounThe state or feeling of having lost courage, confidence, or hope; a lowering of spirits caused by discouragement or setback.
- The emotional state of being deprived of courage, hope, or enthusiasm; dejection resulting from setbacks or discouraging experiences.
"Despite the repeated rejections, she refused to let disheartenment derail her ambitions."
"A wave of disheartenment swept through the team after the third consecutive defeat."
"He hid his disheartenment behind a polite smile when the grant application was declined."
Rarely pluralized; the word is almost always used as an uncountable mass noun referring to an emotional state. A plural would be unusual and typically appears only in stylized writing enumerating distinct instances of discouragement.
"The diary records the many small disheartenments of an aspiring writer's first year."
When your heart literally 'un-hearts' itself — English has a word for that exact moment, and it's over 300 years old.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of disheartenment
Disheartenment derives from the verb 'dishearten', formed in English in the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century from the prefix 'dis-' (indicating removal or reversal) and 'hearten', itself built on 'heart', used since Old English times to denote courage and spirit. The noun 'disheartenment' followed as a natural derivative denoting the state produced by the verb. Its closest relatives are not borrowings from Latin or Greek but native English formations on the same root: 'hearty', 'heartless', and 'take heart', all drawing on the ancient association of the heart with bravery and resolve.
Related word forms
How disheartenment is actually used
Disheartenment is a formal, somewhat literary noun; in everyday speech, speakers more often reach for 'discouragement' or the adjective 'disheartened'. It carries a connotation of gradual emotional erosion rather than sudden shock.
Easily confused with disheartenment
Discouragement is the broader, more common term for loss of motivation, while disheartenment specifically connotes a sinking of the heart or spirit.