ZebraWords.com - The Definition of 'Discourage', Synonyms of 'Discourage' & More on 'Discourage'

1. WordNet® 3.0 (2006)

discourage
    v 1: try to prevent; show opposition to; "We should discourage
         this practice among our youth" [syn: deter, discourage]
    2: deprive of courage or hope; take away hope from; cause to
       feel discouraged [ant: encourage]
    3: admonish or counsel in terms of someone's behavior; "I warned
       him not to go too far"; "I warn you against false
       assumptions"; "She warned him to be quiet" [syn: warn,
       discourage, admonish, monish]

2. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Discourage \Dis*cour"age\, n.
   Lack of courage; cowardliness.
   [1913 Webster]

3. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Discourage \Dis*cour"age\ (?; 48), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
   Discouraged; p. pr. & vb. n. Discouraging.] [Pref. dis- +
   courage: cf. OF. descoragier, F. d['e]courager: pref. des-
   (L. dis-) + corage, F. courage. See Courage.]
   1. To extinguish the courage of; to dishearten; to depress
      the spirits of; to deprive of confidence; to deject; --
      the opposite of encourage; as, he was discouraged in his
      undertaking; he need not be discouraged from a like
      attempt.
      [1913 Webster]

            Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest
            they be discouraged.                  --Col. iii.
                                                  21.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To dishearten one with respect to; to discountenance; to
      seek to check by disfavoring; to deter one from; as, they
      discouraged his efforts.

   Syn: To dishearten; dispirit; depress; deject; dissuade;
        disfavor.
        [1913 Webster]

Thesaurus Results for Discourage:

1. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

afflict, anticipate, avert, awe, bar, beat down, blunt, bother, cast down, check, chill, cool, cow, damp, dampen, dampen the spirits, darken, dash, daunt, debar, deflect, deject, demoralize, depress, deter, disaffect, disapprove of, dishearten, disincline, disinterest, dismay, disparage, dispirit, dissuade, distract, distress, divert, droop, estop, exclude, faze, fend, fend off, forbid, foreclose, forestall, frighten, help, hinder, indispose, inhibit, intimidate, irk, keep from, keep off, knock down, lower, lower the spirits, obviate, oppose, oppress, overawe, preclude, press down, prevent, prohibit, put off, quench, repel, restrain, rule out, sadden, save, scare, shake, sink, slow, stave off, stop, suppress, talk out of, trouble, try, turn aside, turn away, turn from, turn off, unman, unnerve, vex, ward off, wean from, weigh, weigh heavy upon, weigh upon

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