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desaliento

discouragement

noun deh-sah-LYEHN-toh Rare

Also means

despondency

Usage Note

Desaliento conveys a draining of will or hope rather than active sadness — closer to 'dejection' or 'loss of heart' than to tristeza (sadness). Its verb counterpart is desalentar (to discourage, to dishearten). The opposite is aliento in its figurative sense of 'encouragement' or 'spirit'.

Examples

"Sentía un profundo desaliento tras el fracaso."

Natural Translation

She felt a deep discouragement after the failure.

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