DISCOURAGE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does discourage mean? 

• DISCOURAGE (verb)
  The verb DISCOURAGE has 3 senses:

1. try to prevent; show opposition to

2. deprive of courage or hope; take away hope from; cause to feel discouraged

3. advise or counsel in terms of someone's behavior

  Familiarity information: DISCOURAGE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DISCOURAGE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they discourage    ... he / she / it discourages   
Past simple: discouraged   
Past participle: discouraged   
-ing form: discouraging   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Try to prevent; show opposition to

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

deter; discourage

Context example:

We should discourage this practice among our youth

Hypernyms (to "discourage" is one way to...):

disapprove; reject (deem wrong or inappropriate)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

They discourage him from writing the letter

Derivation:

discouragement (the act of discouraging)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Deprive of courage or hope; take away hope from; cause to feel discouraged

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "discourage"):

cast down; deject; demoralise; demoralize; depress; dismay; dispirit; get down (lower someone's spirits; make downhearted)

dishearten; put off (take away the enthusiasm of)

intimidate (to compel or deter by or as if by threats)

pour cold water on; throw cold water on (be discouraging or negative about)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sentence example:

The bad news will discourage him

Antonym:

encourage (inspire with confidence; give hope or courage to)

Derivation:

discouragement (the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Advise or counsel in terms of someone's behavior

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

admonish; discourage; monish; warn

Context example:

She warned him to be quiet

Hypernyms (to "discourage" is one way to...):

advise; counsel; rede (give advice to)

Verb group:

warn (notify of danger, potential harm, or risk)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s PP

Sentence examples:

Sam cannot discourage Sue
They discourage him from writing the letter

 Context examples 

In addition, thickening of the cervical mucus and the endometrium is promoted, thereby altering the endometrium in such a way as to discourage implantation.

(Drospirenone/Ethinyl Estradiol, NCI Thesaurus)

There is some sense in what he says about the girls, however, and if he is disposed to make them any amends, I shall not be the person to discourage him.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

But that did not discourage me.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Oh, you must not discourage me, Mr. Holmes.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“My publishers gave me a most discouraging account of its sale. You are yourself, I presume, a medical man?”

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It focused on helping smokers who want to quit, protecting nonsmokers from tobacco smoke, and discouraging the use of tobacco products among children.

(American Stop Smoking Intervention for Cancer Prevention, NCI Thesaurus)

Headey believes that if increasing taxes on unhealthy food products is not having the desired effects, something must be done to discourage consumers from choosing unhealthy food products and producers from producing them.

(High cost of healthy food to blame for malnutrition, SciDev.Net)

Used to indicate something that is tolerated or supported but not recommended (discouraged) and that may be in the process of being phased out; obsolescent.

(Deprecated, NCI Thesaurus)

"I told you it was hopeless, Matt," Scott said in a discouraged voice.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Alarmed, but not discouraged, she tried it another way; a bolt flew, and she believed herself successful; but how strangely mysterious!

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)