discourage

noun

(rare) Lack of courage

verb

(transitive) To persuade somebody not to do (something).

(transitive) To extinguish the courage of; to dishearten; to depress the spirits of; to deprive of confidence; to deject.

Roots

disdis- · Latin · apart, not cor-cour · Latin · heart

Synonyms for discourage

deterv dissuadev disheartenv dispiritv preventv dauntv hinderv precludev demoralizev frightenv dejectv unnervev debarv depressv prohibitv intimidatev forbidv

Synonyms & related words for discourage

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of discourage — including deter, dissuade, dishearten, dispirit, prevent, daunt. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to discourage

Explore words related to discourage — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include dissuader, encourage, warn, disincentive, frustrate, hearten, frustrater, discouragingly. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for discourage

Common synonyms for discourage include deter, dissuade, dishearten, dispirit, prevent, daunt, hinder, preclude — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does discourage come from?

The word discourage breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: dis-, from Latin dis (“apart, not”); and -cour, from Latin cor (“heart”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.