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
Employees of color were demoralized to hear they were hired to fill quotas.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 20 May 2024
Things are at white heat in all that part of the country and the citizens are almost demoralized.
—Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 15 May 2024
As demoralizing as the defeat was, the Mavericks quickly moved past their frustration and turned their focus to Game 5.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2024
For his troops to threaten Kharkiv, again, and send miles of cars full of terrified civilians fleeing down the highways, again, and turn Ukraine’s second largest city into a shell of itself, again, could demoralize Ukrainians and its allies.
—Constant Méheut, New York Times, 12 May 2024
The cost of living is particularly pronounced in California where inflation, high interest rates and escalating rents are demoralizing the working and middle classes.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
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
Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 20 May 2024
Things are at white heat in all that part of the country and the citizens are almost demoralized.
—Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 15 May 2024
As demoralizing as the defeat was, the Mavericks quickly moved past their frustration and turned their focus to Game 5.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2024
For his troops to threaten Kharkiv, again, and send miles of cars full of terrified civilians fleeing down the highways, again, and turn Ukraine’s second largest city into a shell of itself, again, could demoralize Ukrainians and its allies.
—Constant Méheut, New York Times, 12 May 2024
The cost of living is particularly pronounced in California where inflation, high interest rates and escalating rents are demoralizing the working and middle classes.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
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
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 26 May. 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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