Discourage and Encourage

Opposite meaning words

sentence examples collocations

Discourage

Discourage verb - To lessen the courage or confidence of.
Usage example: I didn't let losing discourage me from trying again
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Synonyms for Discourage
Antonyms for Discourage
Encourage is an antonym for discourage in topics: dishearten, put off, deter.
Nearby Words: discouragement, discouraging

Encourage

Encourage verb - To fill with courage or strength of purpose.
Usage example: a pep talk that encouraged the team to get out there and win
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Synonyms for Encourage
Antonyms for Encourage
Discourage is an antonym for encourage in topics: inspire, help, stimulate spiritually.
Nearby Words: encouragement, encouraging
Similar words of discourage

Similar words of encourage

Common collocations

behaviour discourage behaviour encourage behaviour
people discourage people encourage people
kind discourage kind encourage kind
men discourage men encourage men
Other words: someone, type, sort, use, anyone, player, behavior, humans, viewers, women, kids, players, fans, readers, students, heroes.

Both words in one sentence

  • Vanity Is Feminine Some women are more inclined to it than others, but this always bears out as a cultural thing, where some societies encourage or discourage such behavior.
    Source: Vanity Is Feminine
  • Decadent Court Pretty much all Exalted types have charms that can encourage or discourage this type of behavior.
    Source: Decadent Court
  • However, these defeats only temporarily discourage Ash, and instead are used to encourage him to keep going and train harder.
    Source: Champions on the Inside
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Cite this Source
Encourage and Discourage. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/discourage/encourage
Discourage & Encourage. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/discourage/encourage>.
Encourage or Discourage. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/discourage/encourage.

Antonyms for discourage


Antonyms for encourage

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "discourage" and "encourage" have occurred on timeline