Definition of demoralize
transitive verb
1 : to cause to turn aside or away from what is good or true or morally right : to corrupt the morals of
2a : to weaken the morale of : discourage, dispirit were demoralized by the lossb : to upset or destroy the normal functioning of foreclosures were further demoralizing an already desperate real-estate market — F. D. Rooseveltc : to throw into disorder
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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 of demoralize from the Web
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The Warriors' defense was demoralizingForget the offensive firepower, of which Golden State possesses plenty.
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The employees of the National Weather Service are demoralized, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office.
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Stephen Curry, who scored 28 points, demoralized the Cavaliers early in the third quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers to push the Warriors’ lead to 20.
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The once mighty—and mightily effective—KGB had to watch its best officers go off to work for private businessmen, leaving the state security services demoralized and increasingly corrupt.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'demoralize'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Circa 1793
First Known Use of demoralize
circa 1793
DEMORALIZE Defined for English Language Learners
demoralize
playDefinition of demoralize for English Language Learners
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: to cause (someone) to lose hope, courage, or confidence : to weaken the morale of (a person or group)
DEMORALIZE Defined for Kids
demoralize
playDefinition of demoralize for Students
demoralized
;demoralizing
: to weaken the spirit or confidence of Yet another defeat demoralized the team.
Learn More about demoralize
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See words that rhyme with demoralize Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for demoralize Spanish Central: Translation of demoralize Nglish: Translation of demoralize for Spanish speakers
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