dispiriting

/dɪˈspɪrɪtɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈspɪrɪtɪŋ/ (ame, ipa)

dispiriting — adjective

  • dispiritingpositive
  • more dispiritingcomparative
  • most dispiritingsuperlative

1. making you lose energy, hope, or the wish to keep trying — for example, when res

1.形容詞C1
釋義

making you lose energy, hope, or the wish to keep trying — for example, when results are poor, a setback feels permanent, or the situation looks unlikely to improve.

例句

Putri found the long job hunt deeply dispiriting after fifty rejection emails in three months.

predicative use: subject + find + noun + dispiriting

The empty seats at the charity concert were dispiriting for the young pianist on stage.

attributive scene: noun phrase + be + dispiriting for + person

同義詞
  • discouraging

    more neutral and common; dispiriting carries a stronger sense of draining energy and morale

  • demoralizing

    stronger; suggests a collapse of confidence in a group or team, often used for repeated setbacks

  • disheartening

    very close synonym; slightly more focused on losing hope than on losing energy

  • depressing

    broader and stronger; suggests sustained low mood, not just a temporary loss of hope

反義詞
  • encouraging

    the everyday opposite — gives hope rather than removing it

  • uplifting

    more emotional; suggests raising spirits, not just adding hope

  • heartening

    direct mirror of disheartening; gives hope back to someone who was losing it

用法筆記

Frequently predicative with for + person/group affected, or in the pattern 'find X dispiriting'. Subject is typically a situation, experience, or piece of news rather than a person.

常見錯誤

❌I feel dispiriting after the loss.
✅I feel dispirited after the loss.
💡use the past participle 'dispirited' for the person who loses hope; 'dispiriting' describes the thing that causes the feeling.