# discouraged

/dɪˈskɝədʒd/ (US) · /dɪskˈʌɹɪdʒd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/discouraged
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. feeling hopeless

adjective · CEFR B2

feeling like you have lost your confidence or hope because of a problem or failure.

For teachers: having lost confidence, spirit, or hope; experiencing a state of dejection due to perceived obstacles.

- He felt discouraged after his job application was rejected for the third time.
- Despite the initial setbacks, the research team refused to become discouraged, viewing each failed experiment as a necessary step toward the final solution.

Usage: often follows 'feel', 'become', or 'get'

### 2. not recommended

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

describing an action that people are advised not to do, though it might not be strictly forbidden.

For teachers: describing an action or behaviour that is advised against or viewed with disfavour by an authority.

- Using personal phones during the meeting is strongly discouraged by the manager.
- In many academic disciplines, the use of first-person pronouns in formal research papers is traditionally discouraged in favour of a more objective tone.

Usage: often used in passive constructions or official guidelines

Teaching tip: This sense is common in technical or administrative contexts, such as software documentation or workplace policies.

## Examples

- He felt discouraged after failing his driving test again.
- The team became discouraged when their opponents scored three goals in the first ten minutes of the match.
- Despite several rejections from major publishers, the author refused to feel discouraged, viewing each critique as a necessary step toward refining her manuscript for a more discerning audience.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.