demeaning
adjective
de·mean·ing
di-ˈmē-niŋ 
: damaging or lowering the character, status, or reputation of someone or something
The work was dirty and demeaning, though not quite as somber as it sounds.—
Gillian Beer
Gillian BeerHe changed one song title … to slip around radio's reluctance to play songs with demeaning words in them …—Neil Strauss
Neil Strauss[Sylvia Plath] is most helpfully linked, not to the demeaning disputes of her milieu, but to such powerful predecessors as Theodore Roethke, T. S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, and above all Emily Dickinson.—Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates
demeaningly
adverb
When Lorna … takes control of the inmates' pharmacy, she decides that no one needs medication. It's her belief that those who are demeaningly labeled "crazy" are given medication in order to stifle their uniqueness …
—Sophie-Marie Prime
Sophie-Marie Prime
Examples of demeaning in a Sentence
demanded an apology for his demeaning comments
Recent Examples on the Web
What once was aberrant—indeed, unimaginable—is now standard Trump fare, demeaning not only to the Presidency but to the rule of law.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
For decades, Indigenous leaders and advocates across the state and country have been trying to convince school communities that the use of such mascots and logos are inappropriate, demeaning and harmful.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 29 Aug. 2025
One detainee who submitted an account to the court that was referenced by Gregorio described sleeping in foul-smelling facilities and facing demeaning treatment by ICE agents.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025
Depicting Americans as arrogant, loud, boorish and demeaning of other cultures, the term has stuck and is still mentioned 60-plus years later.
—Jenny Peters, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demeaning
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Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
For decades, Indigenous leaders and advocates across the state and country have been trying to convince school communities that the use of such mascots and logos are inappropriate, demeaning and harmful.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 29 Aug. 2025
One detainee who submitted an account to the court that was referenced by Gregorio described sleeping in foul-smelling facilities and facing demeaning treatment by ICE agents.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025
Depicting Americans as arrogant, loud, boorish and demeaning of other cultures, the term has stuck and is still mentioned 60-plus years later.
—Jenny Peters, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demeaning
Cite this Entry
“Demeaning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demeaning. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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