demoralize

verb

de·​mor·​al·​ize di-ˈmȯr-ə-ˌlīz How to pronounce demoralize (audio)
ˌdē-,
-ˈmär-
demoralized; demoralizing; demoralizes

transitive verb

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 marketF. D. Roosevelt
c
: to throw into disorder
demoralization noun
demoralizer
di-ˈmȯr-ə-ˌlī-zər How to pronounce demoralize (audio)
ˌdē-
-ˈmär-
noun
demoralizingly adverb

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Such was the importance placed on the tree for mobilizing resistance that in 1775, it was cut down by British soldiers to demoralize the revolutionaries. Ellen Walker, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025 The departures leave a leadership void that, according to current and former CDC officials, has demoralized the agency’s staff and will further undermine its ability to provide reliable guidance to Americans. Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2025 Watching what’s unfolding around us can be demoralizing. Stacey Abrams, Time, 28 Aug. 2025 Stringent management of the PLA and the relentlessness of Xi’s anticorruption campaign is probably both humiliating and demoralizing for senior officers. Jonathan A. Czin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for demoralize

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of demoralize was in 1794

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Demoralize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demoralize. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

demoralize

verb
de·​mor·​al·​ize di-ˈmȯr-ə-ˌlīz How to pronounce demoralize (audio)
-ˈmär-
1
: to make bad or evil
2
: to weaken in spirit or discipline
fear demoralized the army
demoralization noun
demoralizer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on demoralize

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