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"discourage" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often deter (5 letters).
Definitions
advise or counsel in terms of someone's behavior
Word origin
From Middle French descourager (modern French décourager), from Old French descouragier, from des- and corage. By surface analysis, dis- + courage.
Used in a sentence
“Don't be discouraged by the amount of work left to do: you'll finish it in good time.”
“Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.”
“Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Deter”10 letters
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