noun lack of courage; cowardliness.
2. discourage ·vt to dishearten one with respect to; to discountenance; to seek to check by disfavoring; to deter one from; as, they discouraged his efforts.
3. discourage ·vt to extinguish the courage of; to dishearten; to depress the spirits of; to deprive of confidence; to deject;
the opposite of encourage; as, he was discouraged in his undertaking; he need not be discouraged from a like attempt.