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Glite Dictionary
dishearteningly

dishearteningly

1 7.4
In a way that makes you feel disappointed and lose hope
  • adverb
  • /dɪsˈhɑːrtənɪŋli/
translation icon : desalentadoramente
  • Thus, the concentration in career education may not have resulted from a conscious decision but from either an evolutionary drift, a desire to obtain more funding from the state (which does provide greater subsidies for vocational courses than for general education and the liberal arts), or, more dishearteningly, from a lack of understanding of what the college actually provided.

Examples

  • Dishearteningly fickle.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • But know that the only thing you convinced me of is that you behave dishearteningly horribly insane.

    Blog text (26)

  • Again: know that the ONLY thing you convinced me of, and with #377 even extra, is that you behave dishearteningly horribly insane.

    Blog text (26)

  • Taupe shines dishearteningly with marshmallow fluff.

    Blog text (18)

  • "The team's dishearteningly poor performance led to their early elimination from the tournament."

  • "She spoke dishearteningly about the challenges that lay ahead in their project."

  • "The news agency reported dishearteningly on the increasing levels of poverty in the region."

Synonyms

depressingly
vsdishearteningly
5 4.1

In a way that makes you feel sad or hopeless

focuses on discouragement disappointment and loss of hope rather than general sadness
disappointingly
vsdishearteningly
4 3.8

In a way that is worse than people expected

implies discouragement and loss of hope not just unmet expectations
discouragingly
vsdishearteningly
1 5.6

In a way that makes people lose confidence or interest

also implies disappointment or loss of hope beyond just lost confidence
dispiritingly
vsdishearteningly
1 7.7

In a way that makes people lose hope or confidence

emphasizes discouragement and disappointment as well as loss of hope
dismayingly
vsdishearteningly
1 7.5

In a way that makes people feel surprised and upset

focuses on causing discouragement and loss of confidence rather than sudden shock

Antonyms

optimistically
9 3.4

Shows hope and confidence about the future

encouragingly
3 3.2

In a way that gives someone more confidence or hope

How Discouraging

dishearteningly
1 7.4
dismayingly
1 7.5

Surface Forms

dishearteningly positive
dishearteninglier comparative
dishearteningliest superlative

Morphology

dishearteningly = disheartening (semi-transparent) = dis + heart + en + ing + ly

The adverb is formed by regular addition of '-ly' to the adjective 'disheartening' with no notable meaning shift.

Etymology

Dishearteningly starts with dis- ('not' or 'away') and has heart ('courage' or 'hope'), the same 'heart' you see in hearten. So, dishearteningly means 'in a way that takes away hope or courage', which is why we use it for things that make people feel discouraged.