How To Say Defeated In Spanish | Words That Fit The Moment

In Spanish, “defeated” is usually derrotado or derrotada, with vencido for being beaten and abatido for feeling worn down.

You will see “defeated” in sports recaps, video games, news headlines, and daily talk about rough days. Spanish has more than one clean way to say it, and the best pick depends on what you mean: beaten in a contest, overpowered in a clash, or drained in spirit.

This page gives you the common translations, when each one fits, how to match gender and number, and sample lines you can copy into conversation or writing.

What “Defeated” Means In Context

English uses “defeated” for two main ideas. One is concrete: a team lost, a candidate lost, a boss was beaten. The other is emotional: someone feels like they have run out of fight.

Spanish often separates those ideas with different words. That split helps you sound exact without adding extra explanation.

How To Say Defeated In Spanish In Real Situations

If you need one default word for “defeated” after a match, election, debate, or game, start with derrotado (masculine) or derrotada (feminine). It matches “defeated” as the result of a contest.

When the tone is “beaten” or “overcome,” vencido or vencida can sound a bit more formal. It also appears in writing about obstacles.

When you mean “emotionally defeated,” Spanish often uses words that describe the feeling: abatido, desanimado, or agotado, depending on the shade you want.

Fast Picks By Situation

Use these pairings to choose with confidence.

Team or person lost a contest: derrotado / derrotada
Beaten or overcome: vencido / vencida
Feeling defeated after setbacks: abatido / abatida, desanimado / desanimada
Defeated by exhaustion: agotado / agotada
The noun “a defeat”: derrota

Most Common Spanish Words For “Defeated”

Spanish gives you a small set of high-frequency choices. Learn the top two first, then add the feeling words so you can talk about mood with the same accuracy you use for scores.

Derrotado, Derrotada

This is the daily translation for “defeated” in a competitive sense. It is common in sports, politics, and games.

Pronunciation hint: deh-ROH-tah-doh / deh-ROH-tah-dah
Core meaning: lost after a contest

Sample lines:

El equipo quedo derrotado en la final.
La campeona salio derrotada, pero sonrio al publico.

Vencido, Vencida

Vencido can mean “defeated,” “beaten,” or “overcome.” It shows up in writing about battles, rivals, and challenges.

Pronunciation hint: ben-SEE-doh / ben-SEE-dah
Core meaning: beaten or overcome

Sample lines:

El rival fue vencido en el ultimo minuto.
La resistencia fue vencida por la presion constante.

Abatido, Abatida

Abatido leans toward an inner state: downcast, discouraged, low after bad news. If you mean “defeated” as a feeling, this fits well.

Pronunciation hint: ah-bah-TEE-doh / ah-bah-TEE-dah
Core meaning: emotionally low

Sample lines:

Me siento abatido despues de tantos intentos fallidos.
Se quedo abatida al escuchar la noticia.

Desanimado, Desanimada

Desanimado means “discouraged.” It is lighter than abatido for many speakers and fits daily speech.

Pronunciation hint: dess-ah-nee-MAH-doh / dess-ah-nee-MAH-dah
Core meaning: motivation dropped

Sample lines:

Estoy desanimado, pero voy a intentarlo otra vez.
Esta desanimada con su progreso.

Agotado, Agotada

If the “defeated” feeling comes from tiredness, agotado fits. It can be physical tiredness, mental fatigue, or both.

Pronunciation hint: ah-goh-TAH-doh / ah-goh-TAH-dah
Core meaning: worn out

Sample lines:

Estoy agotado; hoy no me queda energia.
Termino agotada despues del examen.

Table Of Translations By Meaning And Tone

This table shows how each option lines up with what you mean in English.

English Sense	Spanish Choice	Best Use
Defeated in a match	derrotado / derrotada	Sports, elections, games
Beaten by a rival	vencido / vencida	Headlines, formal writing
Overcome by an obstacle	vencido / vencida	Goals, fears, problems
Soundly beaten	derrotado / derrotada	Recaps, summaries
Feeling defeated	abatido / abatida	Sad, low, heavy mood
Discouraged	desanimado / desanimada	Daily setbacks, motivation
Worn out	agotado / agotada	Fatigue after effort
A defeat (noun)	derrota	Talking about the event

Gender, Number, And Agreement

Most “defeated” words act like adjectives. That means you match them to the person or group you are describing. In Spanish, the ending changes to show gender and number.

Singular Masculine

Use this for one male person or a masculine noun: derrotado, vencido, abatido, desanimado, agotado.

Singular Feminine

Use this for one female person or a feminine noun: derrotada, vencida, abatida, desanimada, agotada.

Plural Masculine Or Mixed Group

Use -os for groups that include at least one male: derrotados, vencidos, abatidos, desanimados, agotados.

Plural Feminine

Use -as for groups of women: derrotadas, vencidas, abatidas, desanimadas, agotadas.

Picking “Ser”, “Estar”, Or “Quedar”

When you describe a person as defeated, Spanish gives you a few natural sentence patterns. Each one carries a slightly different feel.

Estoy derrotado / derrotada sounds immediate, like you are talking about how you feel right now.
Me siento derrotado / derrotada leans even more toward emotion. It works well with abatido and desanimado too.
Quede derrotado / derrotada points to a change after an event. It can sound like: “After that happened, I ended up defeated.”

You can also use estar vencido in writing, though in daily talk it can sound stiff. For regular speech, many learners sound more natural with derrotado for contest loss and abatido or desanimado for mood.

Using “Derrotado” With Things, Not People

Spanish sometimes applies these past participles to ideas, plans, and proposals. You might hear lines like la propuesta fue vencida (the proposal was defeated) in formal settings. In daily conversation, it is common to shift to a verb and say perdio la propuesta or perdio la votacion when the meaning is clear.

Two Extra Words That Often Replace “Defeated”

In English, “defeated” can overlap with “hopeless” or “stuck.” Spanish often uses other adjectives for those shades.

frustrado / frustrada for irritation when effort does not pay off.
sin animos for “no energy” or “no motivation” in a casual tone.

These are not exact matches for defeat in a contest, yet they can be a better fit when you are describing a long week, a hard class, or a plan that keeps falling apart.

If you are talking about a score, stay with derrotado. If you are talking about your mood, choose a feeling word.

Table Of Forms You Will Use Most

These are the forms people reach for in real sentences. Read them once, then you will spot the pattern right away.

Base Word	Singular	Plural
derrotado	derrotado / derrotada	derrotados / derrotadas
vencido	vencido / vencida	vencidos / vencidas
abatido	abatido / abatida	abatidos / abatidas
desanimado	desanimado / desanimada	desanimados / desanimadas
agotado	agotado / agotada	agotados / agotadas

Ready-Made Sentences You Can Reuse

These examples cover common scenes. Swap the subject to fit what you want to say, then keep the verb tense you need.

Sports And Games

El equipo fue derrotado por dos goles.
Nuestro clan quedo derrotado al final de la partida.
El campeon salio vencido tras un partido largo.
Las jugadoras quedaron derrotadas por un punto.

Politics, Debates, And Competitions

El candidato quedo derrotado en la segunda vuelta.
La propuesta fue vencida en la votacion.
El equipo de ventas se declaro vencido tras la negociacion.

Personal Setbacks

Me siento desanimado cuando nada sale bien.
Despues de tantos “no”, quede abatida.
Hoy estoy agotado y sin ganas de hablar.
Ella se quedo abatida y en silencio.

Short Replies That Sound Natural

Sometimes you just need a short line that fits a text or a quick chat.

Estoy derrotado. (I am defeated.)
Me siento abatida. (I feel defeated.)
Quede desanimado. (I got discouraged.)
Nos vencieron. (They defeated us.)
Fue una derrota. (It was a defeat.)

Common Mistakes And Clean Fixes

A lot of learners pick a word that is correct in a dictionary sense, then it feels off in the scene. These checks keep your Spanish smooth.

Mixing Contest Loss With Mood

If you lost a game, say derrotado or vencido. If you are talking about your spirit, say abatido, desanimado, or agotado. That switch keeps the meaning sharp.

Forgetting Agreement

Spanish listeners notice mismatched endings. If you are describing “la jugadora,” use derrotada. If you are describing “el jugador,” use derrotado. If it is a mixed group, use derrotados.

Using “Derrota” As An Adjective

Derrota is a noun. You can say una derrota (a defeat). You do not say “estoy derrota.” Instead: estoy derrotado or me siento derrotada.

Verb Forms: “To Defeat” In Spanish

You might want the action, not the description. Spanish has two common verb options: derrotar and vencer.

Derrotar: defeat in a contest. El equipo derroto al rival.
Vencer: defeat, overcome. Ella vencio al campeon. Tambien: vencio el miedo.

If you want “I was defeated,” Spanish often uses a passive or a result phrase: fui derrotado or quede derrotado. Both sound normal.

Pronunciation Notes That Help You Get Understood

Clear stress makes these words click. Spanish often stresses the second-to-last syllable when a word ends in a vowel, n, or s.

de-RRO-ta-do
ven-CI-do
a-ba-TI-do
de-sa-ni-MA-do
a-go-TA-do

Say the stressed syllable a touch longer and clearer. That is often enough for listeners to catch the word on the first try.

Mini Practice You Can Do In Two Minutes

Pick one of these and say it out loud three times, then swap the ending to match your gender or the subject you are talking about.

Estoy derrotado / derrotada.
Me siento abatido / abatida.
Quede desanimado / desanimada.
Estoy agotado / agotada.

Next, write one line about a contest you lost and one line about a day that drained you. Use different Spanish words for each line. That contrast trains the meaning into your memory fast.

Recap

When “defeated” means “lost,” derrotado is the safest pick. When it means “overcome,” vencido matches well. When it is a feeling, use abatido, desanimado, or agotado based on the shade you want. With those choices, you can say defeated in Spanish in a way that fits the moment and sounds natural.