discouragement
C1Formal to neutral
Definition
Meaning
The feeling of having lost confidence or enthusiasm; the act of trying to persuade someone not to do something.
A factor, situation, or condition that causes loss of confidence or hope; the state of being dissuaded from an action or intention.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Can refer to both the internal emotional state (feeling discouraged) and the external action (the act of discouraging someone). Often implies an ongoing state rather than a momentary feeling.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant spelling or meaning differences. Slightly more common in formal British writing.
Connotations
Similar connotations in both varieties: implies a serious setback or loss of motivation.
Frequency
Comparable frequency in both varieties; perhaps marginally more frequent in American self-help or business contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
discouragement at + noun/gerund (discouragement at failing)discouragement from + noun/gerund (discouragement from applying)discouragement over + noun (discouragement over the results)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A voice of discouragement”
- “To meet with discouragement”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to factors that reduce employee motivation or investment, e.g., 'The new policies created widespread discouragement among the staff.'
Academic
Used in psychology or education to describe a state that hinders learning or effort, e.g., 'Early discouragement can impact long-term academic achievement.'
Everyday
Describes personal feelings when facing repeated setbacks, e.g., 'She felt a deep discouragement after her third job rejection.'
Technical
In economics, can refer to policies designed to reduce certain behaviours (e.g., tax discouragement of smoking).
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The coach discouraged the team from taking unnecessary risks.
- Poor weather discouraged us from going for a walk.
American English
- The data discourages investors from putting money into the sector.
- High costs discourage people from using the service.
adverb
British English
- He shook his head discouragingly.
- The figures were discouragingly low.
American English
- She looked at me discouragingly when I suggested the idea.
- Progress has been discouragingly slow.
adjective
British English
- The discouraging feedback made her reconsider her plans.
- It was a deeply discouraging result for the research team.
American English
- The discouraging news report affected market sentiment.
- She found his pessimistic outlook very discouraging.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- He felt some discouragement when he didn't win.
- Her words of discouragement did not stop him.
- Despite initial discouragement, she persevered and finished the project.
- The lack of progress was a major source of discouragement for the volunteers.
- The government's policy acted as a deliberate discouragement to speculative investment.
- A profound sense of discouragement pervaded the organisation after the failed merger.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: DIS + COURAGE + MENT. Losing the 'courage' (confidence) to proceed.
Conceptual Metaphor
DISCOURAGEMENT IS A WEIGHT / OBSTACLE (e.g., 'weighed down by discouragement', 'a wall of discouragement').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating directly as 'разочарование' (which is closer to 'disappointment'). 'Discouragement' is more 'удручение', 'обескураженность', a loss of will to continue.
- Do not confuse with 'discouraging' (adjective) which is 'удручающий'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'discouragement' as a countable noun for a single event (usually uncountable). *'I felt a discouragement' is less natural than 'I felt discouragement'.
- Confusing with 'disappointment' (sadness about an outcome) vs. 'discouragement' (loss of motivation for the future).
Practice
Quiz
Which word is CLOSEST in meaning to 'discouragement' in the context of losing the will to continue?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Primarily uncountable. You feel 'discouragement', not *'a discouragement'. However, it can be countable when referring to specific instances or causes (e.g., 'He faced many discouragements along the way'), though this is less common.
Disappointment is sadness or displeasure caused by the failure of hopes or expectations. Discouragement is a loss of confidence or enthusiasm for future action, often resulting from disappointment or difficulty.
Rarely. Its core meaning is negative. However, the *act* of discouraging can be seen as positive if it prevents a harmful action (e.g., 'the discouragement of smoking'). The emotional state itself is negative.
'At' and 'over' are common for the cause (discouragement at the result, discouragement over the delay). 'From' indicates what is being dissuaded (discouragement from trying).
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