décourager

to discourage, to dishearten

verb deh-koo-rah-ZHEH Rare

Also means

to deter

Usage Note

Décourager is the opposite of encourager; together they are a useful pair for learners. The reflexive se décourager means 'to lose heart' or 'to give up', as in ne te décourage pas ('don't give up'). The related adjective décourageant describes something discouraging or disheartening, and the noun is le découragement.

Examples

"Ces mauvaises notes l'ont découragé."

Natural Translation

These bad grades discouraged him.

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