# disheartening

/ˌdɪsˈhɑɹtnɪŋ/ (US) · /dɪshˈɑːtənɪŋ/ (UK) · CEFR B2 · Verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/disheartening
Updated: 2026-05-20

## Definition

making you feel sad or lose hope. You use this to describe a situation that makes you feel like giving up.

For teachers: causing a loss of hope or confidence; discouraging. Often used to describe the emotional impact of a failure or a difficult situation.

## Examples

- The team felt disheartening after losing the final game.
- It was disheartening to see so few people show up for the charity event despite the heavy advertising.
- The sudden cancellation of the project was deeply disheartening for the researchers, many of whom had invested years of their personal lives into the study.

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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.