demoralize

de·mor·al·ize

transitive verb \di-ˈmȯr-ə-ˌlīz, ˌdē-, -ˈmär-\

Definition of DEMORALIZE

1

: to corrupt the morals of

2

a : to weaken the morale of : discourage, dispirit

b : to upset or destroy the normal functioning of

c : to throw into disorder

— de·mor·al·i·za·tion \di-ˌmȯr-ə-lə-ˈzā-shən, ˌdē-, -ˌmär-\ noun

— de·mor·al·iz·er \di-ˈmȯr-ə-ˌlī-zər, ˌdē-, -ˈmär-\ noun

— de·mor·al·iz·ing·ly \-ziŋ-lē\ adverb

Examples of DEMORALIZE

1. <the mere sight of the forbidding cliffs demoralized the climbers>
2. <we refused to be demoralized by our humiliating defeat and vowed to come roaring back the following week>

First Known Use of DEMORALIZE

circa 1793

Related to DEMORALIZE

Synonyms

unnerve, emasculate, paralyze, undo, unman, unstring

Antonyms

nerve

Related Words

debilitate, enervate, enfeeble, neuter, weaken; prostrate, sap, soften, tire, waste; frighten, intimidate, psych (out), scare, terrify, terrorize; daunt, discourage, dishearten, dismay, dispirit; craze, derange, madden, unbalance, unhinge; discompose, disquiet, disturb, faze, perturb, unsettle, upset, weird out

Near Antonyms

fortify, strengthen; embolden, encourage, hearten

Rhymes with DEMORALIZE

accessorize, acclimatize, actualize, aerobicize, aestheticize, Africanize, allegorize, alphabetize, analogize, anatomize, anesthetize, animalize, annualize, antagonize, anthologize, anticlockwise, apologize, apostatize, apostrophize, arabicize, aromatize, automatize, bureaucratize, cannibalize, capitalize, categorize, catheterize, catholicize, characterize, collectivize, commercialize, commoditize, communalize, computerize, conservatize, containerize, contrariwise, conveyorize, cosmeticize, counterclockwise, criminalize, cross-fertilize, cut down to size, decentralize, decolonize, de-emphasize, de-energize, defeminize, deformalize, deglamorize, dehumanize, deionize, demagnetize, demobilize, democratize, denationalize, deodorize, depersonalize, depolarize, depressurize, desensitize, destabilize, destigmatize, detribalize, devitalize, diabolize, digitalize, disenfranchise, disorganize, economize, emblematize, emotionalize, epitomize, epoxidize, eroticize, eternalize, evangelize, extemporize, externalize, familiarize, fanaticize, fictionalize, floor exercise, fool's paradise, formularize, free enterprise, gelatinize, generalize, geologize, Hispanicize, historicize, homogenize, hospitalize, hypothesize, idealize, illegalize, immobilize, immortalize, impersonalize, Indianize, indigenize, infantilize, initialize, internalize, italicize, legitimize, liberalize, literalize, lobotomize, lysogenize, macadamize, marginalize, metabolize, metastasize, militarize, mineralize, monopolize, mythologize, nationalize, naturalize, parenthesize, philosophize, poeticize, politicize, popularize, prioritize, proselytize, radicalize, reorganize, revitalize, ritualize, romanticize, secularize, self-fertilize, sensualize, sexualize, sovietize, subjectivize, suburbanize, subvocalize, systematize, temporalize, theologize, traditionalize, trivialize, ventriloquize, visualize