Feeling discouraged is a natural part of life. Whether facing setbacks at work, personal challenges, or simply having a bad day, it’s important to recognize and express these feelings. Here are 20 expressions related to discouragement to help you articulate and understand these emotions.
1. Down in the dumps
Meaning: Feeling sad
Example: She’s been down in the dumps all week.
2. Throw in the towel
Meaning: Give up
Example: After many tries, he threw in the towel.
3. Hit rock bottom
Meaning: Reach the lowest point
Example: He felt like he had hit rock bottom.
4. Lose heart
Meaning: Become discouraged
Example: Don’t lose heart; things will improve.
5. At my wit’s end
Meaning: Totally frustrated
Example: I’m at my wit’s end with this project.
6. Feel defeated
Meaning: Feel beaten
Example: She felt defeated after the competition.
7. Throw cold water on
Meaning: Discourage enthusiasm
Example: He threw cold water on my plans.
8. A dead end
Meaning: No way forward
Example: The negotiations reached a dead end.
9. Lose steam
Meaning: Lose momentum
Example: The team started to lose steam by noon.
10. Feel blue
Meaning: Feel sad
Example: He’s been feeling blue since the breakup.
11. Lose one’s nerve
Meaning: Become too scared
Example: She lost her nerve before the speech.
12. Have cold feet
Meaning: Second thoughts
Example: He had cold feet about the big move.
13. Knock the wind out of one’s sails
Meaning: Discourage greatly
Example: The news knocked the wind out of his sails.
14. Give up the ghost
Meaning: Stop trying
Example: The machine gave up the ghost last night.
15. Run out of gas
Meaning: Lose energy
Example: He ran out of gas halfway through.
16. Throw up one’s hands
Meaning: Surrender
Example: She threw up her hands in frustration.
17. Down and out
Meaning: Defeated and hopeless
Example: He’s down and out after the loss.
18. Give in
Meaning: Yield
Example: He finally gave in to the pressure.
19. Disheartened
Meaning: Feeling let down
Example: She felt disheartened by the news.
20. Feel deflated
Meaning: Loss of confidence
Example: He felt deflated after the meeting.
