Discourage
Discourage verb - To lessen the courage or confidence of.
Lessen and discourage are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Lessen" instead a verb "Discourage".
Nearby Words: discouragement, discouraging
Lessen
Lessen verb - To make smaller in amount, volume, or extent.
Discourage and lessen are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Discourage" instead a verb "Lessen".
Cite this Source
Lessen and Discourage. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 27, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/discourage/lessen
Discourage & Lessen. N.p., 2016. Web. 27 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/discourage/lessen>.
Lessen or Discourage. 2016. Accessed July 27, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/discourage/lessen.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "discourage" and "lessen" have occurred on timeline