Meanings
verbdishearten (third-person singular simple present disheartens, present participle disheartening, simple past and past participle disheartened)
present singular third person disheartens · participle present disheartening · participle past disheartened · past disheartened
- transitiveTo discourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage.
Do not let criticism dishearten you.
2 more examples
The repeated failures began to dishearten the team.
As the storm darkens around him, his spirit grows more bright and serene. That which appals and disheartens others only animates him.
1841, Lydia Sigourney, Pocahontas, Pocahontas NotesSynonyms: discourage · Antonyms: hearten, encourage
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo discourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
- Proto-Indo-European*trísinflu.
- Proto-Indo-European*d(w)is-
- Proto-Italic*dis-
- Latindis-
- Old Frenchdes-
- Latindis-
- Middle Englishdis-
- Englishdis-
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱerd-
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱérd
- Proto-Germanic*hertô
- Proto-West Germanic*hertā
- Old Englishheorte
- Middle Englishherte
- Englishheart
- Englishhearten
- Englishdishearten
Translations
Bulgarian обезсърчавам
- обезсърчавам (obezsărčavam)discourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
Chinese Mandarin 令人愁悶 /令人愁闷, 使沮喪 /使沮丧
- 令人愁悶 /令人愁闷 (lìng rén chóumèn)discourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- 使沮喪 /使沮丧 (shǐ jǔsàng)discourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
Dutch ontmoedigen
- ontmoedigendiscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
Finnish lannistaa
- lannistaadiscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
French décourager
- découragerdiscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
German entmutigen
- entmutigendiscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
Greek αποκαρδιώνω, αποθαρρύνω
- αποκαρδιώνω (apokardióno)discourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- αποθαρρύνω (apotharrýno)discourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
Italian scoraggiare, avvilire
- scoraggiarediscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- avvilirediscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- sconfortarediscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
Japanese 落胆させる, がっかりさせる
- 落胆させる (rakutan saseru)discourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- がっかりさせる (gakkari saseru)discourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
Māori whakatūoi, whakapāhunu
- whakatūoidiscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- whakapāhunudiscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- whakangākaukorediscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- whakakiwakiwadiscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- nonopediscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
Portuguese desanimar, desalentar
- desanimardiscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- desalentardiscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- descoroçoardiscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- abaterdiscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
Romanian descuraja, demoraliza
- descurajadiscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- demoralizadiscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
Russian приводи́ть в уны́ние, привести́ в уны́ние
- приводи́ть в уны́ние (privodítʹ v unýnije)discourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- привести́ в уны́ние (privestí v unýnije)discourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- расхола́живать (rasxoláživatʹ)discourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- расхолоди́ть (rasxolodítʹ)discourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- обескура́живать (obeskuráživatʹ)discourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- обескура́жить (obeskurážitʹ)discourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
Spanish desalentar, descorazonar
- desalentardiscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- descorazonardiscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
- desanimardiscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
Thai บั่นทอนจิตใจ
- บั่นทอนจิตใจdiscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
Welsh digalonni
- digalonnidiscourage someone by removing their enthusiasm or courage
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with dishearten
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
dishearten. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dishearten
MLA
“dishearten.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dishearten. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dishearten,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dishearten.
Source: dishearten on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.