Raising spirits is a phrase that typically means to bring joy or positivity to an individual, group or situation. Its antonyms would denote a situation of sadness, negativity or despair. Antonyms for the phrase raising spirits could include words such as dampening, lowering, saddening, depressing, discouraging, or disheartening. These words describe situations where people or things are not uplifted, but their moods, morale or enthusiasm are dampened, and their spirits are lowered. The negative impact of these antonyms can lead to decreased motivation, and a lack of productive energy, and the overall feeling of dejection.