English Meaning & Definitions
To cause someone to lose confidence or enthusiasm; to attempt to persuade someone against a particular course of action.
- “The high cost of tuition discourages many students from pursuing advanced degrees.”
- “The heavy rain discourages people from visiting the park on weekends.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “discourages”.
Derived from the Middle English 'discouragen', which comes from the Old French 'descorager'. It is composed of the prefix 'dis-' (expressing reversal or negation) and 'courage' (from the Old French 'corage', meaning 'heart' or 'spirit'). Thus, etymologically, it means to take the heart or spirit out of someone.
Think of 'dis-' as 'disconnect' and 'courage' as 'heart'; to discourage is to disconnect someone from their heart or confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions About “discourages”
1. What is the meaning of “discourages” in English?
In English, discourages (verb) is defined as: “To cause someone to lose confidence or enthusiasm; to attempt to persuade someone against a particular course of action.”.
2. How do you use “discourages” in a sentence?
“The high cost of tuition discourages many students from pursuing advanced degrees.”
3. What are English synonyms of “discourages”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “discourages”?
Derived from the Middle English 'discouragen', which comes from the Old French 'descorager'. It is composed of the prefix 'dis-' (expressing reversal or negation) and 'courage' (from the Old French 'corage', meaning 'heart' or 'spirit'). Thus, etymologically, it means to take the heart or spirit out of someone.
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