discouraging

/dis'kʌridʤin/

Thân thiện

The coach's discouraging comments made the team feel less confident.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Causing someone to lose confidence, hope, or enthusiasm; disheartening. It describes something that deters action by making a goal seem less achievable or appealing.
   • Expressing disapproval or criticism. It describes an action, remark, or attitude that is intended to dissuade someone from a course of action.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:
  • The teacher's discouraging comments made the student hesitant to participate again.
  • The team faced discouraging setbacks in the early stages of the project.
  • The weather forecast for the picnic was very discouraging.

Advanced Usage

• "to find something discouraging": to perceive a situation or information as disheartening.
  • I find the lack of progress on this issue deeply discouraging.
• Used to describe a general atmosphere or environment.
  • He worked in a discouraging climate of constant criticism.

Variants and Related Words

• Discourage (verb): to try to prevent something by showing disapproval or creating difficulties; to make someone less confident or hopeful.
  • The high cost is likely to discourage many potential buyers.
• Discouragement (noun): a loss of confidence or enthusiasm; an attempt to prevent something by showing disapproval.
  • She refused to give in to discouragement.
• Discouraged (adjective): having lost confidence or enthusiasm.
  • He felt discouraged by the repeated failures.

Synonyms

• Disheartening: Causing someone to lose determination or confidence.
• Deterring: Discouraging someone from acting by instilling doubt or fear of consequences.
• Daunting: Seeming difficult to deal with in a way that makes you feel less confident.

Antonyms

• Encouraging: Giving someone support, confidence, or hope.
• Heartening: Making someone feel cheerful or encouraged.
• Inspiriting: Filling with spirit or courage.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• A discouraging word: A remark intended to dissuade or express disapproval. (From the idiom "home, home on the range, where never is heard a discouraging word...").
  • The supportive manager never uttered a discouraging word to her team.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. expressing disapproval
2. depriving of confidence or hope or enthusiasm and hence often deterring action
   • where never is heard a discouraging word