as in despair
the state of being discouraged
I tried desperately to avoid discouragement after failing the bar exam twice
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Recent Examples of discouragement
Labor market discouragement can come from weakness in the overall job market, shifts in industrial composition, or barriers or constraints that affect specific workers.
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Kathryn Anne Edwards, Twin Cities, 27 Oct. 2025
Probably, despite Todd’s discouragement.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025
The gradual combination of these skills helps students avoid most crashes in the long term, leading to less discouragement and frustration.
—Maria Williams, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
So feelings of self-doubt, frustration, and discouragement start to kick in.
—Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discouragement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discouragement
Noun
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Monday’s loss to the Celtics highlighted the despair in the state of the current Bulls frontcourt.—
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But Wharton, unlike the characters in her novels, never seemed to give in to despair.—
Noun
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There is bafflement alongside the dismay.—
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My seven-year-old, the daredevil of the family, was just an inch or so off the height requirements for zip lining high above the Central Park neighborhood and the FlowRider surf simulator, much to her dismay.—
Cite this Entry
“Discouragement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discouragement. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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