Literary notes about Dispiriting (AI summary)
The term “dispiriting” is employed in literature to convey a pervasive sense of gloom and demoralization that can envelop both the setting and the characters’ inner lives. Writers often use it to depict landscapes and atmospheres where color and light seem drained, as in stark, bleak visions of nature [1, 2, 3]. At the same time, it is applied to describe personal or social circumstances that weigh heavily on the spirit—whether reflecting a character’s self-perception [4], the relentless monotony of daily routines [5, 6], or the chilling effect of discouraging news or events [7, 8]. In these ways, “dispiriting” becomes a versatile adjective that encapsulates both the visual desolation of a scene and the internal despair experienced by individuals, underscoring broader themes of isolation and defeat.
- “A dismal, dispiriting landscape—nothing but white and gray, No shadows—merely half-obliterated forms melting into the fog and slush.
— from Farthest North, Vol. I Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration of the Ship 'Fram' 1893-1896 by Fridtjof Nansen - At last daybreak came, a sad gray dawn, with cold, dispiriting rain falling.
— from Horrors and Atrocities of the Great WarIncluding the Tragic Destruction of the Lusitania by Logan Marshall - A sea in which no sail is visible, is the most sad and dispiriting spectacle that any one can well behold.
— from Wanderings in Spain by Théophile Gautier - Rolfe saw himself in a mean, dispiriting light.
— from The Whirlpool by George Gissing - He tried to get back to work, but found his routine dispiriting.
— from Success: A Novel by Samuel Hopkins Adams - He had felt ever since lunch that go out he must sooner or later, and the prospect was dispiriting.
— from The Prophet's Mantle by E. (Edith) Nesbit - His fall, instead of dispiriting his followers, roused them to fury!
— from For The Admiral by W. J. (William James) Marx - On the contrary, his appearance among them, when he did show {127} himself, had a dispiriting and a depressing effect on almost every mind.
— from A History of the Four Georges, Volume I by Justin McCarthy
