discouraging
adj.making you feel less confident or less hopeful about something. It describes a situation that makes you want to stop trying.
adj.causing a loss of confidence, enthusiasm, or spirit. Often used to describe feedback, results, or environmental factors that impede motivation.
“The low test scores were very discouraging for the students.”
“Despite the discouraging news about the budget cuts, the team decided to continue their research.”
“The initial lack of public interest was discouraging, yet the artist persisted until her work finally gained the recognition it deserved from the local community.”
Often follows linking verbs like 'be', 'seem', or 'feel'.
Use 'discouraging' for the thing that causes the feeling and 'discouraged' for the person experiencing the feeling.
“Continued trade policy uncertainty has likely also played a role in discouraging supply-chain responses; pricing responses are faster and more flexible.”
“The discovery may be discouraging for agencies that have spent decades trying to contain Guam's brown tree snake population.”