discouragingdis‧cour‧a‧ging /dɪsˈkʌrɪdʒɪŋ $ -ˈkɜːr-/ adjective 
- a discouraging report on the economy
- Despite discouraging viewing figures for their movie "For the Boys", Paramount decided to try to make another similar film.
- It's very discouraging to find out that your own team members have been lying to you.
- It is deeply discouraging that the government can struggle with the nation's budget for nearly a year and still fail to achieve anything.
- My father made a few discouraging remarks about my academic abilities that have stayed with me to this day.
- Crime is seen as only identifiable by the discouraging response it evokes.
- It also includes discouraging cultural traits that have outlived their usefulness and may be otherwise harmful to society.
- My slight personal acquaintance with the subject of all this discouraging impersonal solemnity seemed slightly ridiculous.
to make someone feel less confident► shake/damage (somebody's) confidence if something shakes or damages someone's confidence , it makes them feel unsure of their abilities and less confident: · Being fired really shook his confidence.badly shaken: · Her confidence was badly shaken when she was involved in a car accident a few years ago.
► demoralizing making people feel that they cannot be successful at something they are trying to do, so that they become unwilling to continue with it: · the demoralizing effects of unemployment· Many of the teachers found the school board's criticism unfair and demoralizing.· Rivas says being on welfare was a demoralizing and humiliating experience.
► take the wind out of somebody's sails informal to make someone lose their confidence, especially by saying or doing something unexpected: · Last night's defeat has taken some of the wind out of the team's sails.
► discourage to make someone feel less confident about something they are trying to achieve: · What discouraged me most was our lack of progress in the pay negotiations.· Although the troubles in the financial markets have made him cautious, Reid said they haven't discouraged him.
► discouraging making someone feel less confident about something they are trying to achieve: · My father made a few discouraging remarks about my academic abilities that have stayed with me to this day.· Despite discouraging viewing figures for their movie "For the Boys", Paramount decided to try to make another similar film.be discouraging to do something: · It's very discouraging to find out that your own team members have been lying to you.discouraging that: · It is deeply discouraging that the government can struggle with the nation's budget for nearly a year and still fail to achieve anything.
adjectiveencouraged ≠ discouragedencouraging ≠ discouragingnounencouragement ≠ discouragementverbencourage ≠ discourageadverbencouragingly ≠ discouragingly
The results were discouraging.—discouragingly adverb