discourage to

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "discourage to" is not correct in written English.
It is typically used incorrectly as "discourage" should be followed by a gerund or a noun, not "to." Example: "I want to discourage smoking among teenagers."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

Only a few shelters are available, so, by contrast, low temperatures, dark, and wind discourage to access it.

City, Territory and Architecture

The results of this work should not discourage to eat street food, but to support the reasonable choice of eating-places, according to basic food hygiene knowledge, to minimize food poisoning risk.

Food Control

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

It had to be discouraging to a player like Jim Thome.

The New York Times - Sports

It's discouraging to be around death all the time.

The New Yorker

"I'm not discouraged to the point of giving up.

The New Yorker

Eating in the elevator is discouraged, to say the least.

The New Yorker

It has to be discouraging to have to teach to a test and a set curriculum.

The New York Times - Science

It is discouraging to watch medical institutions chase federal dollars through patient satisfaction surveys.

The New York Times

The C.I.A., I'd been discouraged to discover, paid for faulty information all the time".

The New York Times - Books

"It was discouraging to read down the table and see that every division was below expectations".

The New York Times

It's discouraging to see presidential campaigns succumb to the makeover culture.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use "discourage from + gerund" or "discourage + noun" instead of "discourage to + infinitive". For example, use "I want to discourage smoking" or "I want to discourage people from smoking".

Common error

Avoid using "to" after "discourage". The correct preposition to use with "discourage" when followed by an action is "from". For instance, instead of "discourage to eat", say "discourage from eating".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "discourage to" is generally considered grammatically incorrect. The verb "discourage" typically functions transitively, requiring a direct object, and is followed by a preposition like "from" when indicating what someone is being discouraged from doing. Ludwig AI confirms its non-standard usage.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "discourage to" is considered grammatically incorrect and should be avoided in formal writing. Ludwig AI analysis, and grammatical convention, suggests using "discourage from" followed by a gerund or "discourage + noun" for accurate expression. While occasional instances appear in some sources, opting for grammatically sound alternatives ensures clarity and credibility.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

discourage from

Changes the preposition to "from", which is the correct usage after "discourage" when followed by a gerund.

dissuade from

Replaces "discourage" with "dissuade", which carries a similar meaning but requires the preposition "from".

deter from

Substitutes "discourage" with "deter", implying a stronger sense of prevention, and requires "from".

advise against

Replaces "discourage" with "advise against", focusing on the recommendation not to do something.

warn against

Similar to "advise against", but with a stronger emphasis on potential negative consequences.

caution against

Implies careful consideration and potential risks associated with an action.

urge not to

Shifts the phrasing to an urging not to perform an action, changing the sentence structure.

recommend against

Formally suggests that something should not be done, altering the tone.

try to prevent

Focuses on the action of preventing something, rather than discouraging it.

aim to avert

Uses a more formal and emphatic tone, highlighting the intent to prevent something negative from happening.

FAQs

How can I correctly use "discourage" in a sentence?

Use "discourage" followed by a noun (e.g., "I discourage bad behavior") or "discourage from" followed by a gerund (e.g., "I discourage people "from smoking"").

What can I say instead of "discourage to"?

Opt for alternatives such as "discourage from", "dissuade from", or "advise against" depending on the context.

Is "discourage to" grammatically correct?

No, "discourage to" is not grammatically correct. The correct usage involves either "discourage + noun" or "discourage from + gerund".

What's the difference between "discourage to" and "discourage from"?

"Discourage to" is grammatically incorrect, while "discourage from" is the correct way to express the intention of dissuading someone from doing something. For example: "I discourage you "from doing that"" is correct.