Literary notes about Dispirited (AI summary)
The term "dispirited" in literature is often used to describe a state of dejection, low morale, or emotional exhaustion brought on by adverse circumstances. Authors employ it to capture moments of inner and outer defeat—from the quiet resignation of characters confined or overcome by personal hardships, as illustrated when a subject grows "listless and dispirited" in captivity [1], to entire groups demoralized by defeat or oppression, as seen with armies or communities rendered hopeless [2], [3]. Whether it highlights personal despair, as when someone's "soft, dispirited voice" reflects inner turmoil [4], or depicts the collective malaise of a demoralized group facing insurmountable odds [5], the word effectively conveys the erosion of spirit and determination under pressure [6], [7].
- She is "cribbed, cabined, and confined," through no fault of her own, and grows listless and dispirited in her captivity.
— from Mrs. Geoffrey by Duchess - Dispirited by this double defeat, the Galatians, who had rallied their scattered forces behind the Halys, sued for peace.
— from Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 56, Number 348 by Various - The troops meanwhile stood growing listless and dispirited.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - nce, and she listened to his soft, dispirited voice and to the clicking of typewriters in an adjoining room.
— from The Story of Louie by Oliver Onions - Dispirited by the sting of defeat, this motley and unorganized mass of men became rather a mob than an army.
— from The Civil War Through the Camera by Henry W. (Henry William) Elson - I was dispirited and I dreaded the big, cheerless, chill rooms that I was so weary of.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - He went to his rooms and dressed, sad, thoughtful, and dispirited.
— from Father Goriot by Honoré de Balzac
