Word
discourage
Phoneticsdis·cour·age, stress on the second syllable
US/dɪˈskɝɪdʒ/
UK/dɪskˈʌɹɪdʒ/
Definitions
01to dishearten
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to make someone lose hope or confidence so they want to stop trying.
v. to deprive of courage, hope, or confidence; to dishearten or deject. Transitive, taking a person as the direct object.
日本語:落胆する※
“The difficult math problems started to discourage the students after an hour of work.”
“Repeated rejections from publishers began to discourage the young novelist, despite the initial praise her manuscript had received from her peers.”
Synonyms
02to persuade against
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to try to stop something from happening or to talk someone out of an idea.
v. to dissuade or deter someone from a course of action. Often used with the pattern 'discourage someone from doing something'.
“The high prices at the shop discourage many people from buying organic food.”
“The government introduced a new tax on sugary drinks to discourage citizens from consuming unhealthy amounts of soda.”
Pitfall
My parents discouraged me to go to the party.
My parents discouraged me from going to the party.
The verb discourage is followed by 'from' and a gerund (-ing form), not a 'to' infinitive.
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “discourage” in context.
Verb
01. actively discourage the practice
“The school board actively discourages the practice of using mobile phones during lessons.”
adv + verb
02. discourage further investment
“High interest rates might discourage further investment in the local housing market.”
verb + adj + noun
03. discourage people from smoking
“The government launched a new campaign to discourage people from smoking in public places.”
verb + noun + prep + noun
Noun
04. attempt to discourage
“The new security measures are an attempt to discourage shoplifting in the mall.”
noun + infinitive
Adverb
05. easily discouraged
“Don't be easily discouraged by initial failures; persistence is key to success.”
adv + verb
06. strongly discourage
“We strongly discourage students from traveling alone at night in unfamiliar areas.”
adv + verb
Real-World Examples
“Measures are being put in place to discourage young people from remaining at the site once the new school term begins.” “Organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest are proposing major rule changes to discourage voting campaigns that aim to influence the results.” Etymology
From Middle French descourager (modern French décourager), from Old French descouragier, from des- and corage. By surface analysis, dis- + courage.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/discourage
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0