disheartening

/dɪsˈhɑːtnɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪsˈhɑːrtnɪŋ/ (ame, ipa)

disheartening — adjective

  • dishearteningpositive
  • more dishearteningcomparative
  • most dishearteningsuperlative

1. making you feel that nothing will improve, which takes away your desire to keep

1.形容詞B2
釋義

making you feel that nothing will improve, which takes away your desire to keep working toward a goal.

例句

The committee's rejection was disheartening for Mei-Lin and her team.

After months of training, Kenji found his slow progress deeply disheartening.

found + [noun] + disheartening

同義詞
  • discouraging

    most direct synonym; similar frequency and intensity

  • demoralising

    slightly stronger; implies a deeper loss of spirit or confidence

  • dispiriting

    more formal and less common; focuses on loss of cheerfulness

反義詞
  • encouraging

    direct opposite; giving hope, confidence, or support

  • heartening

    formed from the same root; means restoring cheer and confidence

  • uplifting

    stronger positive; making someone feel happier or more hopeful

用法筆記

Often used in the patterns 'it is disheartening to + verb' and 'find something disheartening'. Typically describes situations, results, news, or feedback rather than people.

常見錯誤

❌I felt disheartening about the exam results.
✅I felt disheartened about the exam results.
💡'disheartening' describes the thing that causes the feeling, not the person who experiences it.
❌The long walk was disheartening for my legs.
✅The long walk was exhausting for my legs.
💡'disheartening' refers to emotional discouragement, not physical tiredness.