demoralising
demoralising — verb
1. the British-spelled present-participle form of demoralise — describing an event,
the British-spelled present-participle form of demoralise — describing an event, result, or experience that strips someone of self-belief and the will to keep trying, often after repeated setbacks like losing matches, missing job offers, or watching a project fail.
Losing four cup finals in a row was demoralising for the whole squad.
predicative use: be demoralising for someone
Wren found the constant rejection emails from publishers deeply demoralising.
collocation: find something deeply demoralising
The coach worried a heavy defeat would be demoralising for the younger players.
Watching their savings shrink month after month was a demoralising experience for the Okonkwo family.
Sahil called the long unemployment queue the most demoralising part of his week.
- disheartening
near-synonym, slightly milder; focuses on lost hope rather than lost willpower
- dispiriting
more formal; emphasises sapped energy and enthusiasm
- crushing
stronger; suggests a single overwhelming blow rather than gradual erosion
- discouraging
weaker and more general; covers anything that makes you less keen to continue
- encouraging
directly opposite — lifts confidence and willingness to keep going
- uplifting
stronger positive counterpart; restores spirits
- motivating
increases drive to act, opposite of sapping it
文法句型
something is demoralising for someone
find something demoralising
a demoralising + noun
用法筆記
Almost always appears in its present-participle / adjectival form rather than as a finite verb — readers will far more often see 'a demoralising defeat' or 'I found it demoralising' than 'this demoralises the team'. British spelling; American English prefers 'demoralizing'.