What does dishearten mean?
To dishearten is to strip someone of their hope, courage, or determination — to make them feel that effort is no longer worthwhile. The word is formed from "hearten" (to give heart or encouragement) with the negative prefix "dis-", so its meaning is transparent: it describes the removal of spirit. It is almost always transitive, taking a person (or group) as its object: criticism may dishearten a writer, repeated losses may dishearten a team. In practice, the derived forms carry much of the work — people describe themselves as "disheartened," or call news, results, or trends "disheartening." The word carries a connotation of quiet erosion rather than dramatic defeat: one is worn down over time rather than crushed in a single blow. Neutral in register and common in both British and American English, it is a precise alternative to the more general "discourage" when the specific loss of morale or heart is what matters.
verbTo cause someone to lose hope, confidence, or determination; to make less spirited or enthusiastic.
- To deprive of courage, hope, or confidence; to lower the spirits of someone.
"The team was disheartened by the narrow defeat, but vowed to train harder for the next match."
"The constant rejections began to dishearten even the most optimistic applicants."
"She refused to let the setback dishearten her, treating it instead as a lesson in resilience."
When you're disheartened, you've literally lost "heart" — the word comes from adding the negating prefix "dis-" to "hearten," as if courage were something that could be taken away.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dishearten
Dishearten was formed in English in the late 16th century from the verb "hearten" — itself derived from the noun "heart" — combined with the negative prefix "dis-", literally meaning to take away someone's heart or courage. The root "heart" traces back to Old English "heorte" and ultimately to Proto-Germanic *hertô, making it related to words like "hearty," "hearten," and "heartless." The same ancient Indo-European root also gave Latin "cor/cordis," source of "cordial," "courage," and "concord," so dishearten shares deep ancestry with those words despite their very different paths.
Related word forms
How dishearten is actually used
Typically used transitively and often appears in the passive or adjectival forms "disheartened" and "disheartening." The register is neutral to slightly formal; in casual speech, "get discouraged" is often more common.
Easily confused with dishearten
"Dishearten" specifically emphasizes a loss of heart, courage, or enthusiasm, while "discourage" is broader and can also mean trying to talk someone out of an action.