demoralize
verb
de·mor·al·ize
di-ˈmȯr-ə-ˌlīz 
ˌdē-,
-ˈmär-
demoralized; demoralizing; demoralizes
1
: to cause to turn aside or away from what is good or true or morally right : to corrupt the morals of
2
a
: to weaken the morale of : discourage, dispirit
were demoralized by the loss
b
: to upset or destroy the normal functioning of
foreclosures were further demoralizing an already desperate real-estate market—
F. D. Roosevelt
F. D. Roosevelt
c
: to throw into disorder
Examples of demoralize in a Sentence
the mere sight of the forbidding cliffs demoralized the climbers
we refused to be demoralized by our humiliating defeat and vowed to come roaring back the following week
Recent Examples on the Web
In town, the visits grew demoralizing and progress less and less visible.
—Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 11 Apr. 2024
The incident was nothing short of perverse: Israel targeted and killed people trying to make a dent in the imminent famine that Israel itself has engineered as part of its strategy to demoralize and destroy, in whole or in part*, the Palestinian population.
—Longreads, 5 Apr. 2024
Dancers accused Star Garden management of introducing arbitrary rules and implementing high drink prices and cover fees in bad faith in an effort to deter customers, demoralize dancers and weaken resolve in contract negotiations.
—Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
As a cultural project, Oppenheimer is timed to coincide with the New York Times’ demoralizing 1619 Project — a continuation of the anti-American degradation that Nolan honed in his Dark Knight trilogy.
—Armond White, National Review, 13 Mar. 2024
The whiplash shifts in a largely siloed organization demoralized and infuriated employees.
—Kenrick Cai, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
It was not demoralized, incompetent, or ill-equipped.
—Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2024
Michael Badgley eventually kicks a 21-yard field goal for a 24-7 lead, which is less demoralizing heading to the half than 28-7.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 29 Jan. 2024
That included a demoralizing 6-1 home loss against Club Brugge before the Christmas break.
—Samuel Petrequin, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024
Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 11 Apr. 2024
The incident was nothing short of perverse: Israel targeted and killed people trying to make a dent in the imminent famine that Israel itself has engineered as part of its strategy to demoralize and destroy, in whole or in part*, the Palestinian population.
—Longreads, 5 Apr. 2024
Dancers accused Star Garden management of introducing arbitrary rules and implementing high drink prices and cover fees in bad faith in an effort to deter customers, demoralize dancers and weaken resolve in contract negotiations.
—Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
As a cultural project, Oppenheimer is timed to coincide with the New York Times’ demoralizing 1619 Project — a continuation of the anti-American degradation that Nolan honed in his Dark Knight trilogy.
—Armond White, National Review, 13 Mar. 2024
The whiplash shifts in a largely siloed organization demoralized and infuriated employees.
—Kenrick Cai, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
It was not demoralized, incompetent, or ill-equipped.
—Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2024
Michael Badgley eventually kicks a 21-yard field goal for a 24-7 lead, which is less demoralizing heading to the half than 28-7.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 29 Jan. 2024
That included a demoralizing 6-1 home loss against Club Brugge before the Christmas break.
—Samuel Petrequin, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'demoralize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near demoralize
Cite this Entry
“Demoralize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demoralize. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
demoralize
verb
de·mor·al·ize
di-ˈmȯr-ə-ˌlīz
-ˈmär-
1
: to make bad or evil
2
: to weaken in spirit or discipline
fear demoralized the army
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