discourage

discourage — verb

1. to make a person feel less hopeful, eager, or confident about doing something —

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to make a person feel less hopeful, eager, or confident about doing something — for example, when a single failure discourages a beginner from trying again.

Example

Jack's teacher discouraged him from giving up by praising every small improvement he made.

discourage someone from + V-ing

The team felt deeply discouraged after losing three matches in a row by narrow margins.

passive: feel discouraged

Common collocations
  • discouraged by setbacks
  • easily discouraged
  • feel / become discouraged
  • discourage someone from trying
Synonyms
  • dishearten

    more literary; suggests a deeper loss of hope or spirit over time

  • demoralize

    stronger; implies destruction of morale, often in a group context

  • daunt

    focuses on making someone feel intimidated or unable to start

  • dampen

    softer; suggests reducing enthusiasm without fully removing it

Antonyms
  • encourage

    the direct opposite in both senses

  • hearten

    formal; to give someone renewed confidence

  • inspire

    stronger; to fill someone with the desire to do something

Grammar Patterns

discourage + someone

discourage + someone + from + V-ing

be discouraged + by/with + noun

Usage Note

Frequently used in the passive (be/get discouraged by/with something). Both senses use the pattern 'discourage + someone + from + V-ing', but in sense 1 the focus is on the emotional effect (loss of hope or confidence), not on blocking the action.

Common Mistakes

The bad news discouraged him to continue.
The bad news discouraged him from continuing.
'discourage' always takes 'from + V-ing', never 'to + infinitive'.
She discouraged that he try again.
She discouraged him from trying again.
'discourage' cannot introduce a that-clause; use 'from + V-ing' instead.

2. to try to stop a particular action or habit, typically by creating obstacles, im

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to try to stop a particular action or habit, typically by creating obstacles, imposing costs, or expressing strong disapproval — for example, locking a gate at night to discourage trespassing.

Example

The city installed speed bumps to discourage drivers from speeding on residential streets.

discourage someone from + V-ing

Stefan's boss discouraged casual conversation during working hours to keep the team focused.

discourage + noun (general activity)

Common collocations
  • actively discourage
  • discourage the use of
  • discourage smoking / speeding / cheating
  • designed to discourage
  • discourage V-ing
Synonyms
  • deter

    closest match; focuses on the result of making someone decide not to act

  • dissuade

    more personal; involves reasoning or argument rather than obstacles

  • prevent

    stronger; implies successfully stopping something, not just trying

  • inhibit

    formal; suggests a restraint on natural behavior or processes

Antonyms
  • encourage

    the direct opposite in both senses

  • promote

    to actively support or help something grow

  • facilitate

    formal; to make something easier to do

Grammar Patterns

discourage + something

discourage + someone + from + V-ing

discourage + V-ing

Usage Note

Unlike sense 1, which focuses on an emotional impact, this sense describes deliberate efforts to block or reduce an action. The subject is often an institution, rule, or system (laws, schools, policies). The object is typically an unwanted behavior (smoking, speeding, vandalism, cheating).

Common Mistakes

The school discourages students to cheat.
The school discourages students from cheating.
'discourage' always takes 'from + V-ing', never 'to + infinitive'.
The new rules discouraged cheating from happening.
The new rules discouraged cheating.' or 'The new rules discouraged students from cheating.
'discourage' already contains the idea of prevention; 'from happening' is redundant.

Word family

  • discouragement
    nounC1
  • discouraged
    adjectiveB1
  • discouraging
    adjectiveB2
  • discouragingly
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe making someone less confident or willing, but they differ in intensity and scope. 'Discourage' is the broadest, everyday term — it can describe any loss of confidence, from mild to severe. 'Dishearten' is more literary and suggests a gradual erosion of hope over time ('The repeated rejections disheartened the novelist'). 'Demoralize' is the strongest, often applied to groups whose collective spirit has been broken ('The long strike demoralized the workers'). 'Daunt' focuses on intimidation that prevents someone from even starting ('The steep price daunted potential buyers'). 'Deter' belongs more to sense 2 — it emphasises blocking action rather than emotional impact ('The security camera deterred thieves'). For daily use, 'discourage' is the safest and most natural choice.

disheartendemoralizedauntdeter ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • discourage effort
  • discourage participation
  • discourage investment
  • discourage use
  • discourage innovation

Adverbs

  • strongly discourage
  • actively discourage
  • openly discourage
  • effectively discourage
  • deeply discouraged

Phrases

  • discourage someone from doing something
  • feel discouraged about something
  • be discouraged by something
  • nothing will discourage someone

Prepositions

  • discourage from (doing something)
  • discouraged by (something)
  • discouraged with (something)

Etymology

Old FrenchEnglish

'Discourage' entered English around the 1400s from Old French 'descouragier', meaning 'to deprive of courage'. The word breaks down into 'des-' (away, removal) + 'corage' (heart, spirit, bravery). At first it meant 'to deprive of courage in battle', but over time it broadened to cover any loss of confidence or hope in everyday situations. The sense of 'trying to prevent something' developed later, in the 1500s.