1
as in to paralyze
to deprive of courage or confidence
the mere sight of the forbidding cliffs demoralized the climbers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to discourage
to lessen the courage or confidence of
we refused to be demoralized by our humiliating defeat and vowed to come roaring back the following week
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3
as in to humiliate
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
felt society as a whole has been demoralized by the widespread availability of pornography
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demoralize
Where Barbie was forced to reconsider Barbieland’s values after paying a visit to the real world, Adam is forced to uphold the real world’s values after being zapped back to a fantasyland whose greatest warriors have been utterly demoralized by their insufficient physical force.
—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
2 June 2026
Colorado looked nothing like the team that demoralized opponents all year with its offensive and defensive prowess.
—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
27 May 2026
What Russians feel Despite Putin’s resilience and his benefitting from the war in Iran, public sentiment within Russia is increasingly demoralized.
—
Anna Nemtsova,
Time,
23 May 2026
Now, after that latest detention, Garcia Venegas sounds demoralized.
—
Nicole Foy,
ProPublica,
15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for demoralize
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
2 June 2026
Colorado looked nothing like the team that demoralized opponents all year with its offensive and defensive prowess.
—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
27 May 2026
What Russians feel Despite Putin’s resilience and his benefitting from the war in Iran, public sentiment within Russia is increasingly demoralized.
—
Anna Nemtsova,
Time,
23 May 2026
Now, after that latest detention, Garcia Venegas sounds demoralized.
—
Nicole Foy,
ProPublica,
15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for demoralize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demoralize
Verb
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While receiving treatment at a British base, Derek learned that he was paralyzed from the chest down.
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With endless criteria, knowing exactly what to ask for from a pair of jean shorts is paralyzing.
Verb
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In 2011, the bipartisan Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission determined that the crisis was triggered in part by Greenspan’s failure to discourage trade in securities backed by subprime mortgage loans amid an unsustainable housing boom and his promotion of financial industry deregulation.
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The color yellow attracts yellow jackets and other pollinating insects, so the all-red design increases your chances of attracting hummingbirds and discourages bees and wasps from staking claim over the sweet nectar.
Verb
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Israel must leave humiliated and defeated — and that is exactly what will happen.
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Instead of demanding personal fealty or humiliating them to assert personal dominance, Lincoln absorbed their egos and occasional slights, elevating their talents and turning his fiercest political adversaries into his most devoted champions.
Verb
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Those rights-holders have said the fence is intended to intimidate them or restrict their access, but Harrison’s attorneys have said the fence is meant to ward off those without access rights.
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Given how often Trump has threatened to resume the war without following through, and given his determination to move on, that prospect alone appears unlikely to intimidate Tehran.
Verb
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Trump’s rogue moves have frustrated Thune’s party regularly over the past two months.
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David Rubenstein, the son of a Baltimore postal worker, was frustrated in a Washington law firm when he was both inspired by a wildly successful leveraged buyout and unnerved by a book that claimed the odds of successfully starting a company plummets after 37.
Verb
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This involves sealing all cracks, crevices and entry points with materials that won't degrade over time.
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Batteries degrade, actuators wear out, sensors drift, and every safety case has to hold.
Verb
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But her outbursts frightened the children too.
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What frightened me most was what might happen to my children.
Verb
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Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images BEIJING — China’s consumer spending slowdown persisted in June, with growth during one of the country’s largest online shopping festivals weakening sharply from a year earlier.
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All three of those protagonists have been weakened in their roles by what has gone on.
Cite this Entry
“Demoralize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demoralize. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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