dishearten

verb

dis·​heart·​en (ˌ)dis-ˈhär-tᵊn How to pronounce dishearten (audio)
disheartened; disheartening; disheartens

transitive verb

: to cause to lose hope, enthusiasm, or courage : to cause to lose spirit or morale
were disheartened by the news
dishearteningly
(ˌ)dis-ˈhärt-niŋ-lē How to pronounce dishearten (audio)
-ˈhär-tᵊn-iŋ-
adverb
disheartenment noun

Examples of dishearten in a Sentence

The conflict between their families disheartened them. we were disheartened by the news that our grandmother was seriously ill
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Senate confirmation hearings for several of Trump’s Cabinet nominees were also disheartening, particularly the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing for Pete Hegseth to be the secretary of defense. John T. Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2025 The Meta Quest 3 had disappointing holiday sales, and the disheartening Apple Vision Pro has halted production. Charlie Fink, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025 The moment was a bright spot of the night, with Moore touching on how the movie helped break her out of a particularly disheartening professional slump. Megan McCluskey, TIME, 23 Jan. 2025 The amount of people left and right who embrace authoritarianism is disheartening. Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for dishearten 

Word History

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dishearten was in 1590

Dictionary Entries Near dishearten

Cite this Entry

“Dishearten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dishearten. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

dishearten

verb
dis·​heart·​en (ˈ)dis-ˈhärt-ᵊn How to pronounce dishearten (audio)
: to deprive of courage and hope : discourage
disheartening
-ˈhärt-niŋ
-ᵊn-iŋ
adjective
dishearteningly adverb
disheartenment noun

More from Merriam-Webster on dishearten

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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