Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| desalentado | /desalenˈtado/ |
| ya no/poco/nada encorajado |
Desalentado is used to describe someone who is disheartened. It is common to use the phrase sentirse desalentado to say 'to feel discouraged'. A very common synonym is desanimado, which focuses more on a lack of ánimo (will, spirit or enthusiasm).
What does it mean word for word?
The word desalentado is composed of the prefix des- (un-) and aliento (breath/spirit), literally meaning 'having one's spirit or breath taken away'.
Which one should you use?
You may also see the phrase ya no/poco/nada encorajado used to express a lack of encouragement.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Spanish-speaking regions, particularly in Latin America, the slang term chafado/a is used to mean discouraged or disheartened. In colloquial settings, the term bajoneado/a is used to express feeling down, discouraged or depressed.
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, desalentado must agree in gender and number with the person being described. Use desalentada for a female, desalentados for a group of males or a mixed group and desalentadas for a group of females.
How do you pronounce it?
/desalenˈtado/
Did you know?
- The word chafado used for discouragement in Latin America literally means 'squashed' or 'flattened'. It evokes the image of a person being crushed by their circumstances.
- The synonym desanimado shares a linguistic root with the English word 'animating', making a discouraged person literally 'de-animated'.
- The Spanish word aliento allows a speaker to describe both the literal act of breathing and the act of giving someone encouragement.
Examples in context
- Estoy completamente desanimado/a. Nada parece salir como esperaba y siento que cada paso que doy es en vano.I am completely discouraged. Nothing seems to go as I expected, and I feel like every step I take is in vain.
- Me siento desilusionado/a porque trabajé arduamente en mi proyecto y no obtuve los resultados deseados. Esperaba que el esfuerzo valiera la pena, pero me siento frustrado/a e incapaz de alcanzar mis metas.I feel discouraged because I worked hard on my project and didn't achieve the desired results. I was hoping the effort would be worth it, but I feel frustrated and unable to reach my goals.
- Estoy desanimado/a con los resultados de la evaluación.I'm discouraged with the evaluation results.
- Me siento desalentado/a debido a la falta de oportunidades laborales.I feel discouraged due to the lack of job opportunities.
- Estoy bajoneado/a después de intentar varias veces y no lograrlo.I'm feeling down after trying several times and not succeeding.
- Estoy chafado/a porque mis planes se arruinaron por el mal clima.I'm discouraged because my plans got ruined due to the bad weather.
- Me siento desalentado por los resultados.I feel discouraged by the results.
- No estés desalentado, puedes lograrlo.Don't be discouraged, you can do it.
- El equipo terminó desalentado tras la derrota.The team ended up discouraged after the defeat.
Example conversation
Elena is talking to Daniel about his job search.
- Elena¿Cómo va la búsqueda de empleo, Daniel?How is the job search going, Daniel?
- DanielEstoy un poco desalentado porque no me llaman.I am a bit discouraged because they aren't calling me.
- ElenaNo te sientas así, pronto llegará algo bueno.Don't feel that way, something good will arrive soon.
- DanielGracias por el apoyo, Elena.Thanks for the support, Elena.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “discouraged” translations and entries desalentado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
