What does dispiriting mean?
Dispiriting is an adjective describing something that drains people of hope, energy, or enthusiasm — an outcome, experience, or piece of news that lowers morale. A dispiriting defeat, report, or stretch of weather leaves those involved feeling deflated rather than merely sad; the word implies a gradual wearing down of spirit. It derives from the verb dispirit, formed from the prefix dis- ('away, apart') and the noun spirit, ultimately from Latin spiritus, meaning 'breath' — so a dispiriting event is one that figuratively takes the breath out of a person. The word sits in a neutral-to-formal register and appears frequently in journalism, criticism, and everyday commentary on disappointing developments. Its natural companions are nouns such as experience, result, news, and performance, as in 'a dispiriting run of results.' Related forms include the adjective dispirited, which applies to people who have lost heart, and the adverb dispiritedly.
adjectiveCausing a loss of hope, enthusiasm, or morale; tending to lower the spirits.
- Tending to cause loss of hope, confidence, or enthusiasm; discouraging or demoralizing.
"The team's dispiriting defeat in the final match ended their hopes of promotion."
"It was dispiriting to watch months of careful planning unravel in a single afternoon."
"The review offered a dispiriting assessment of the city's public transport system."
The word carries the Latin spiritus — breath — inside it: to be dispirited is literally to have the wind taken out of you.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dispiriting
Dispiriting comes from the verb dispirit, formed in English from the prefix dis- ('to deprive of, remove') combined with spirit, borrowed from Old French esperit and ultimately from Latin spiritus, 'breath, breath of life, courage.' To dispirit someone was originally to strip them of their 'breath' or vital courage. The adjective dispiriting arose as the present-participle form of this verb and has been used since at least the 17th century to describe things that drain morale. It shares its Latin root spiritus with a broad family of English words, including inspire, conspire, respiration, and spirited.
Related word forms
How dispiriting is actually used
Formal to neutral in register, common in journalism and reflective writing. It typically describes events, results, experiences, or reports rather than people themselves; for people, "dispirited" is used instead. It carries a stronger sense of eroded morale than simply "sad" or "unpleasant."
Easily confused with dispiriting
"Desperate" means feeling or showing utter hopelessness and urgency, while "dispiriting" describes something that causes others to lose heart.
"Dispersing" means scattering or spreading out, whereas "dispiriting" means draining someone's morale or enthusiasm.