discouragement Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
    dismay; disheartenment.
  2. noun the expression of opposition and disapproval
  3. noun the act of discouraging
    • the discouragement of petty theft

WordNet

Dis*cour"age*ment noun
Etymology
Cf. OF. descouragement, F. découragement.
Definitions
  1. The act of discouraging, or the state of being discouraged; depression or weakening of confidence; dejection.
  2. That which discourages; that which deters, or tends to deter, from an undertaking, or from the prosecution of anything; a determent; as, the revolution was commenced under every possible discouragement. "Discouragements from vice." Swift.

Webster 1913