1
as in to frustrate
to lessen the courage or confidence of
I didn't let losing discourage me from trying again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to dissuade
to steer (a person) from an activity or course of action
the higher fines may help discourage drivers from speeding on the highway
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of discourage
These abrupt shifts in trade policy create further uncertainty for businesses, discouraging investment and hiring as companies navigate an increasingly unstable economic environment.
—
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 5 Mar. 2025
Providers are discouraged as patients fear returning home At Choices Women’s Medical Center, Ottolenghi says there’s more tension in the air.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2025
Leaders in the Chips Program Office met Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to discourage him from laying off those employees, Bloomberg reported.
—Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 3 Mar. 2025
Fearful that Colonists might provoke a costly war with Indigenous people, Parliament issued the Proclamation of 1763, which attempted to protect native land by discouraging Colonial expansion westward.
—G. Patrick O'Brien, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discourage
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 5 Mar. 2025
Providers are discouraged as patients fear returning home At Choices Women’s Medical Center, Ottolenghi says there’s more tension in the air.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2025
Leaders in the Chips Program Office met Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to discourage him from laying off those employees, Bloomberg reported.
—Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 3 Mar. 2025
Fearful that Colonists might provoke a costly war with Indigenous people, Parliament issued the Proclamation of 1763, which attempted to protect native land by discouraging Colonial expansion westward.
—G. Patrick O'Brien, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discourage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discourage
Verb
-
Struggling to adapt to announcements regarding trade, and whether to treat them as threats that may not evolve into policy, has frustrated Hassane El-Khoury, CEO of ON Semiconductor.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
-
The use of generic, impersonal responses frustrates customers.—
Rob Lancit,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Lack of specificity in contracts could lead to cascading problems such as insufficient locked storage space, which could dissuade unsheltered people from accepting shelter, discourage those in the shelter from leaving to seek work and exacerbate the insecurity of those with hoarding tendencies.—
Doug Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2025
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That feature can use external cameras and switch on alerts and alarms to dissuade potential thieves or vandals − and alert owners via a mobile app that something is happening.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA TODAY,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But, after an eight-year hiatus, teeing off in front of people was intimidating.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Antonio Reyes, a 21-year-old police say shot and killed six people as a teenager, is behind bars but remains a terror, intimidating guards and attempting to kill fellow inmates.—
Michael Loria,
USA TODAY,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Stocks fell Thursday afternoon as President Donald Trump's pledge to temporarily exempt many imports from his 25% tariffs failed to deter a wider sell-off.—
Rob Wile,
NBC News,
6 Mar. 2025
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This helps deter other birds from trying to attack the small, endangered birds and their young.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2025
Verb
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This does not daunt organizers of the current recall, the eighth attempt to oust Newsom since his election in 2018.—
Thomas D. Elias,
Orange County Register,
14 Feb. 2025
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The day that East High School students came back from winter break we were all jarred by daunting 12-foot stalls, the main emotion of disturbance coming from girls.—
Mattison Nunez,
The Denver Post,
5 Feb. 2025
Verb
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On the streets, conservative protesters, frightened that the left could win the next election, have rallied to Yoon.—
ROBERT E. KELLY,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Feb. 2025
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That frightened stray kitten forgot her fears and moved up on that ball of paper and batted it across the floor and then batted it again.—
Carole Wendt,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Discourage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discourage. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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